All Because I Love You
by Madam Sketch
Summary: Emily Park is your standard Gotham citizen, she literally cares about no one other than herself and will happily let someone else take the fall if it means saving her own skin. One day when forced to solve a riddle she simply used Google search, and now she has to pay the price for "cheating" at the Riddler's game. Riddler/OC
1. Google Saved My Life

**A/N: I am a complete idiot and my computer is spastic so it doesn't let me do line breaks. So in place of the line breaks, I have three capital X's like so: XXX**

**Just so you don't think that there are random xs around or anything. **

**Disclaimer: I Sketch1997 have not, do not, nor will not ever own anything as amazing as Batman the Animated Series; I merely own my OC, the plot line, and a pet cat named Zoe.**

**XXX**

Google has saved Emily Park's life, on more than one occasion. She never realized how amazing the website is until she have an essay due the next day for History class; or when she was being held hostage by a riddle obsessed maniac in a library.

One of these occasions was when she was simply going to the grocery store- Emily had gained the cravings for a BLT and had no lettuce. Nothing a quick trip can't fix; and she most certainly intended on fixing it. The day wasn't sunny and had chirping birds- it was Gotham she was in after all- but it was necessarily all gloomy and stormy either.

It had felt, she recalled, like everything was at a standstill; like everyone was simply holding their breaths and waiting for something inevitable to happen. She paid no mind; happy to be an oblivious and part of the crowd drone.

So as she stood in line at the grocery store with only seconds from her leaving, she cursed her bad luck as the men in masks with guns came in.

"Alright, idiots of Gotham!" A man's elegant voice shouted from the front of the store, to far up for Emily to see, "I shall make a deal with you- if any of you answer my riddle correctly you may leave! Any attempts to escape and you will all die; are we clear? Good. Now riddle me this! I am light as a feather; but the strongest man cannot hold me for more than five minutes!"

Emily shrunk lower; of all the rouges she gets to run into the Riddler! Jesus she could barely find the patience to put a puzzle together- but to solve a riddle… impossible. Slowly, an idea came to her, the very idea that helped her through math in high school: why not use Google?

She slowly brought out her phone and typed it in, nearly crying with joy as she found the answer, "Hey-" she whispered to the guy next to her; he turned and she whispered softly to him the answer and he nodded, standing shakily he called out with a small voice, "Uh- I have the answer!"

"Very well, I'm listening…." The Riddler mocked patience; the man gulped and exclaimed, "Breath!"

Dead silence- you could hear a pin drop- until finally, "…let them go."

**XXX**

Emily didn't plan on sticking around and waiting to gain credit; she really didn't want to gain the attention of even her boss, let alone the Riddler. She ditched as soon as the police got them out- the Riddler had gassed the place that had knocked them all out, letting him and his goons escape.

It only shocked her a little bit that the guy she gave the answer to disappeared; she was 95% sure that he fell unconscious right before her. That left to the Riddler must have taken him- but that didn't really bother her.

Reasonable people in Gotham kept to themselves, didn't prod into people's business, didn't look out the window when someone screamed, didn't stand up and gain attention from the top dogs. They just tried to survive, to keep living as long as they possibly could and keep their loved ones close.

Emily was the epitome of how Gotham citizens should be. No family, little friends, blue collared job, and was very, very selfish. Seriously, what her mother had called making her a horrible person, was what kept her alive this entire time.

She sighed as she sat back on her old sofa, her small black kitten Zoe jumped up and prodded at her hand with her head desiring to be petted, "Yes Zoe, I live to feed you another day." She stroked her cats head and turned on the news, watching the usual reports of break ins and murders until they had a live action news bulletin.

"And this just happened," Hilary Martinez reported in front of City hall; the camera zoomed up to something hanging, and once it became clear, Emily choked. The man she gave the answer to was hanging with a noose around his neck, above him painted in green was the word "CHEATER",

"Zoe," Emily murmured, turning off the television and picking the cat up, "Let's pray that momma doesn't get found out; otherwise I am so dead."

**XXX**

**Okay guys, this is the first chapter of "All Because I Love You". This will be a Riddler/OC story, and I honestly have no idea how long it will be. More than just a couple chapters though.**

**Anyways, if you have any interest in this at all, it will be updating every Tuesday or Wednesday for sure, so it coexists with my other story updates. If they are all on separate days, then I have no doubt I would end up missing a few. Occasionally, if it is really important, then you might get an extra surprise chapter here and there. I also do holiday specials.**

**Okay, well I hope to see you all again, **

**-Sketch1997**


	2. Of Books and Bats

**A Very Special Thanks to ArianaIsAWESUM, lunabloodmoon666, 510angel, and WendyBird21 for following ABILY;**

**And another Very Special Thank You to Danish Fantasy Girl, lunabloodmoon666, and 510angel for favoring ABILY.**

**Finally, I would like to thank 510angel for leaving an encouraging review.**

**Disclaimer: I Sketch1997 have not, do not, nor will not ever own anything as amazing as Batman the Animated Series; I merely own my OC, the plot line, and a pet cat named Zoe.**

**XXX**

It was the Monday after the heist took place; Emily smiled as she took her place in front of her class, they're faces eager as they waited for her to greet them and start the day's lesson.

"Good morning, everyone," she smiled, "how was everyone's weekend?"

A general murmur of answers ranging from "great" to "boring" reached her ears and her smile widened, "well great! But now we have to start class, the journal question is on the board, and in fifteen minutes we'll finish reviewing Emily Dickinson's poem 'I Could Not Stop for Death'."

Emily sat behind her desk and took a moment to watch the variety of students start to pull out their papers and pens. She was a teacher for English II and III, head of her department; and she loved every moment of it.

Books were her life; she loved to read, no matter what genre or POV or length, books made her happy. When she was younger, her aspirations were to be a lawyer, or a psychologist, but in the end the thought of getting other people excited about reading just as she was simply sold the whole teaching idea.

"Miss Dales," Michael, one of her more rebellious students called, "I have a question."

"Ah yes," Emily stood and went to her podium, interested in what he was going to say, "what ever could it be? Oh- and I am glad you are joining us for class today, instead of skipping and going to the gym."

"What is the point of the journal question?" he snaked loudly, crossing his arms and leaning back as he tried to be the center of attention, "I mean, asking us 'who our favorite author is and why' seems a little too personal."

"Uh-Hu," Emily sighed, suddenly bored, "well, the point of the journal entries is not only to help you sharpen you're writing skills for the SATs, but it also helps you. It gives you a reason to stop and think, other than just filling in a meaningless worksheet."

"But I don't have a favorite author- why would anyone have a favorite author?"

"Because stupid," Brianne- most likely one of Emily's most favorite students and one of her sassiest- spoke up as she turned to look at Michael, "reading is interesting, and you can't read anything if you don't have an author. It's the same as having a favorite basketball player or a quarterback."

"You are absolutely correct, Bri," Emily nodded, walking around her podium as she stared at the twenty students, "reading is something truly incredible, and we have authors to thank for that. If we didn't have authors, we wouldn't have books; and if we didn't have books, we wouldn't have our gateways into other worlds. Every story is worth something, and they all teach us something special."

"Miss Dales!" Jonah, another student whom she favored, waved his hand, "what about that one poem? The one on the wall about the different books and what they teach us?"

"Yes Jonah," Emily stared at her favorite poem,

"I read a book about a girl on fire,

"I read a book about a fearless Prior.

"I read a book about a boy with a wand,

"I read a book about a girl whose drawings respond.

"I read a book about a boy with demigod power,

"I read a book about a girl whose weakness made her flower.

"The Girl on Fire taught me to never give up, and the fearless girl taught me all is corrupt.

"The Boy who lived taught me to follow my fate, along with the Runed girl whose destiny was great.

"The Son of Poseidon taught me to be a hero, and the Girl with cancer taught me to live for today because I might not get tomorrow.

"They taught me to keep my chin up when things get bleak,

"And make myself strong when I feel weak.

"They showed me I don't need a wand of knife,

"To be a savior in my own fictional life.

"We call them "the heroes of our generation"

"But no.

"We can be the heroes of our own inspiration."

**XXX**

"Miss Dales."

Emily screamed and jumped off her couch, not bothering to turn around as she launched the spoon behind her at the deep voiced intruder while dropping the pint of ice cream she had been nursing. She tore her way into her bedroom, not hesitating to slam her door shut and turning the multiple locks on it.

"Please Miss Dales we aren't here to hurt you, we are here to help you!" A voice said cheerily from behind her; Emily didn't hesitate to grab her bat and swing, screaming all the while. She swung and the second voice caught it, "Please Miss Dales calm down!"

Emily let her eyes focus, and stopped. A woman stood there, in a bat suit, with red hair. It was Batgirl; there was a vigilant in her bedroom. Emily opened her mouth but no sounds came out; she simply gawked at the other woman in utter shock, "No way."

"Yes way," she answered with a smile, dropping the bat and taking a relaxed stance, "I'm glad we found you before the Riddler did."

"….what?"

"The Riddler is looking for you," the deep voice intruded; Emily turned, finding the Batman standing in the door way, "he has been ever since he found out that the man Richard Glenn wasn't the one who knew the answer to the riddle."

Richard Glenn, the man she gave the answer to; huh, so that was his name.

"How… how did he know I answered it?"

"Not sure," Batgirl quipped, digging a bag out of Emily's closet, "maybe Glenn gave you up, maybe he checked the security cameras and saw the two of you whispering; but it doesn't matter how. It only matters that he did and he is going to come."

"What would he do to me?" Emily asked frightened, "I mean- I cheated! I googled the answer!"

"Oh dear," Batgirl hummed, turning to face her, "he doesn't like cheaters; not at all. Pack a bag, right now." Emily didn't even argue, but started packing immediately before she even realized she was complying. She turned in a matter of a couple minutes, looking at the crime fighting bats and gripped the strap of the bag, "what now?"

**XXX**

"A safe house?" Emily whispered, dropping the bag in the hall way as Batman flipped on the light.

"Yes," he answered, walking forward into the living room, "you will have to take off of work until we catch him, and anything you need will be provided for you."

"But…"

"No, this is for your own good." Batman stated, "Do not leave this house, do not attempt to access any online accounts or profiles, and do not answer the door for anyone."

"What if the house is on fire?"

"This house is child proof, there is no possible way you can set it on fire short of lighting a match and throwing it on the carpet- which this house has no carpets, only hard wood floors and tiles."

"What if there is an actual emergency?"

"If for some reason there is a dire emergency, there are little red buttons all over the house; there is a map on the coffee table for when you feel the need to explore."

"And my cat?"

"I've sent him to a trusted friend to be looked after."

"It's a girl, actually," Emily sniffed, looking at the bleak hallway, "but, I just stay here and do nothing?"

"Pretty much," Batgirl patted her shoulder, "I will be by to check on you tomorrow in case you need anything; good night, Miss Dales."

**XXX**

**Okay people. There is this week's chapter; I'm sorry it may seem a little boring, but once Edward comes into the picture than things will speed up easily. **

**So who here watches Gotham? (raises hand rapidly and looks around) anyone? I am currently in love with it, especially Edward and Oswald. DID YOU GUYS SEE JONATHAN CRANE? Oh my god I did and I fangirled and my mom was sitting right next to me and she stared as I freaked out and whispered softly, "where did I go wrong?"**

**She just doesn't understand that Batman, especially his villains, have become such a large part of my nerd life that I just can't even-**

**So if you watch it, what do you think? Do you think the actors are spot on, or could some improvements be made? And another thing befor I go, what do you guys think about Zsasz? I am really liking that character for some reason, or at least I like this Zsasz better than Nolan's Zsasz. I am a little disappointed in the lack of stories for him, and I might post one of him sometime this summer when I have time.**

**Anyways, I love you all, and will see you guys later,**

**-Sketch1997**


	3. Flowers and Threats

**Special Thanks to Crytography girl22, and Luziefers nightmare for following ABILY;**

**And a special thanks to Luziefers nightmare for favoring ABILY!**

**Finally, a special thank you to lunabloodmoon666 for reviewing!**

**Guest: You watch Gotham? Awesome.**

**Disclaimer: I Sketch1997 have not, do not, nor will not ever own anything as amazing as Batman the Animated Series; I merely own my OC, the plot line, and a pet cat named Zoe.**

**XXX**

"This was a really bad idea," Emily groaned; she was lying upside down on the couch, her feet dangling over the back and her head an inch or two above the ground, "I am so bored." She had been at the safe house for a week, which meant a week of not going outside, not seeing her students, and not having Wi-Fi.

"I want to watch the news," she sighed, straightening herself to where she was sitting on the couch properly with her knees pulled to her chest, "I want to check my Tumblr. I want to watch some funny videos on YouTube, hell, I will even grade some of my student's homework."

"Good news-" a voice sounded behind Emily, "We caught the Riddler, and you can go home now." Emily turned to find Robin standing behind her, a smile on the teenagers face and a set of keys in his hand.

"That's a relief," she sighed, standing and walking past him towards the bedroom, "just let me grab my stuff."

**XXX**

"Zoe!" Emily cuddled her cat close to her chest, cooing softly at little mass of purring fur. As soon as she walked into her house, Zoe came flying at her from nowhere, clutching her jacket in her little claws and rubbing her forehead to Emily's chin.

"Yeah," Robin laughed, scratching the back of his head, "I think she missed you; anyways, the Riddler has been put back into Arkham, and you are now safe to continue your life."

"He's going to give up? Just like that?"

"Edward Nigma has been diagnosed with a memory problem," Robin explained as he casually walked to her window and opened it, allowing the cold Gotham air to filter in, "So by time he may be able to get out, he will have more important things to focus on. We are going to keep him in Arkham for a long time, long enough to where he will forget."

With a slight nod and flurry of a cape, the sidekick went out the window; Emily hesitantly went over to it and peered out, of course, finding nothing. She sighed and closed it, making sure to lock it and do a sweep of her house; everything was in order, hell, it looked like they had even tidied up. It looks like the bats do have manners, although it wasn't nescicarily.

**XXX**

"Oh Miss Emily!" Brianna came out of nowhere and walked side by side with her teacher, fighting to keep pace with the older woman, "where have you been? We were really worried about you."

"I know Brianna, I just had to get away for a little while and take care of some things; how's class been?"

"Awful. We have had to watch "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" twice now." She groaned, "I'll see you in class later!"

"Bye Brianna," Emily laughed, continuing her fast pace to the dean's office. She passed more of her students and they all seemed slightly relieved to have her back, which she could understand.

After all, this was Gotham; and typically if you were missing for more than two days it meant you were dead.

She reached the office and standing outside was the assistant Dean Mrs. Bell, "Well I'll be damned, your still alive?"

"Yes Mam," Emily smiled at the older woman, "Is Mr. Underwood inside?"

"He sure is sweetie, just go on in."

**XXX**

"So where were you?" One of her students asked Emily, and she grimace. She had gotten through four classes; this was her fifth period, and she knew eventually someone would ask.

"I had to lay low for a bit, avoid some bad blood," she said simply, organizing the papers in her cabinet. She looked up to the twenty something students and smiled, "But everything is okay now, so just don't worry about it and pass up your homework.

A multitude of groans sounded and she laughed, "Oh come on guys, it was only ten questions."

"But there was a basketball game last night," Carl, one of her sports playing students muttered.

"There was?" Emily checked the events calendar and paused, "huh, there was. Okay, I will collect homework at the end of class then; you have thirty minutes to complete it."

"Yay!" The class cheered and whooped; Emily shook her head slightly and went to her computer, checking her Facebook and Tumblr.

She let class slide by slowly in almost a haze; Emily reconnecting with all she missed while under the radar, the class catching up on their homework, the clock ticking by slowly as you could hear an occasional student in the hallway.

A sudden rapping at her door cause Emily to look up; a few moment later an office aid came in carrying an arrangement of flowers.

"Aw," some of the students cooed; and Emily felt her heart skip a small beat at the sight of the arrangement.

"Miss Parks? These came for you." The student handed them to her and she let her hands stoke one of the pedals, "wow."

"Is it from your boyfriend?" Brianna asked, rising out of her desk a bit to check the flowers; Emily frowned slight, "can't be. I'm single."

She pulled out the card and paused; it was white, on one side a message and on the other engraved in green was a… question mark?

Emily felt the color drain from her face as she flipped the card over to read the message written in black ink and beautiful cursive:

"It truly is tragic that I wasn't able to get to you befor the big bad bat, but have no fears. For I shall not forget you, and I will come to pick you up. When might that be? Well answer my riddle, and not cheating; I don't like cheaters.

Riddle me this, what time of day, when written in capital letters, is the same forwards, backwards and upside down?"

Emily looked up to her class and quickly asked them the riddle; a few pulled out pieces of paper and started to write things down, trying to get it, and Emily felt her mind racing, "Does no one know the answer?"

"Noon!" Emily exclaimed suddenly, standing and walking over to her board and writing down NOON in all caps; she felt her throat close up and she looked at the clock, finding it to be 11:53.

"Noon isn't a time of day," someone objected.

"Yes it is, you idiot." Brianna rolled her eyes, scrapping the piece of paper she was previously writing on.

"Who wants to go to the gym?" Emily asked turning, "We only have eighteen minutes of class left, so let's all go to the gym! I'll call Coach Lapeer, you all just go!"

Of course, her class saw nothing wrong with going to the gym, especially since it was Tuesday, and on Tuesday's the gym class goes outside. Bri paused slightly at the door, the last one out, "Miss Dales, are you okay?"

"Yes," Emily said shakily, smiling, "just watch them and make sure they don't do anything stupid, kay?"

"Yes Mam."

Emily stared at the vacant desks, frowning as her heart raced; she was dead, there was no question about it.

She should leave- but what if he got angry at her fleeing, and decided to take it out on her students? Emily had no family, little friends, but one thing she had and cherished was her students, and they were probably what would get her killed.

She made her decision in a second, picking up her class phone and calling the dean's office, "Mrs. Bell? Yes this is Miss Parks; I'm afraid I have to leave early- no mam I understand- I just got a call that there was a fire at my apartment building and I- okay, thank you mam. My students are in the gym and Lapeer is watching them. Yes mam, you have a good day to."

**XXX**

Emily sped walk down the hallways of the school; a slight image flashed befor her eyes of her younger years here, having attended this school when she was a teenager. She smiled but it soon disappeared as she remember the gravity of the situation she was in.

Emily busted out the doors and walked to her car quickly, looking around discreetly as she slid into her car and jammed the keys in the ignition; checking the time she whimpered, finding it to be noon on the dot. She felt almost in the clear when a voice said from behind her,

"Well, if it isn't my little _Cheater_."

**XXX**

**OH no, I think we all have a pretty good guess on who is in the car with Emily. Remember kids, always check the back seat befor getting in a car, it may just save your life.**

**So what did you guys think about Monday's Gotham? (Fan girl intensifies) NGAH MY BABY JONATHAN- OH AND PENGUIN AND NIGMA? Their interaction was adorable, Edward trying to push Oswald's buttons and such. **

**Anyways, there is this week's chapter, I hope you all loved it, and I will see you all next week,**

**-Sketch1997**


	4. Valentine's Day

**Special thanks to Starswim for following ABILY;**

**And another special thanks to Flowerchild23 for favoring ABILY.**

**Finally special thanks to Danish Fantasy Girl, 510angel, lunabloodmoon666, Flowerchild23, and Johanna Crane(guest ) for reviewing ABILY.**

**Johanna Crane: He does have a Cillian Murphyish vibe, doesn't he? The EYES oh my god I felt my heart break in two when he was in the hospital bed. Every time I watch Gotham and see the Riddler get upset I feel like crying because he just does that tight lipped thing like he is trying not to let his emotions show and I NGAH. I don't get upset when Oswald gets hurt though because he does in like every episode and half the time he does something stupid to get hurt. And when my mom saw Jonathan in the hospital bed, she had the same reaction your dad did so don't get worried about it. She thinks I am some form of sociopath now, but oh well, I have the Gotham Rogues and also fellow fans to keep me company when they eventually send me to the asylum. **

**XXX**

Emily sighed softly as she counted the object on _his_ desk for the millionth time that day; wires and hard drives and other electronic devices were littered on it, there were blueprints and journals and puzzles as well.

As it would turn out, the Riddler did indeed escape Arkham, or perhaps he was never in there to begin with; he hadn't told her anything since he appeared in the back of her car. He merely forced her to come to wherever this was and threw her into his office; feeding her twice a day with carrots and bread, as well as water. She wasnt a damn rabbit; she hated carrots.

"Oh _cheater_!" The arrogant voice of her captor rang out as the door to the office flew open; he strutted in with a cocky smile, "Well there you are!"

"Where else would I be?" She muttered under her breath, crossing her arms and glaring at the floor.

"Now don't be like that, Pet." He tsked, wagging a finger at her as he came closer, "I've been nothing but kind to you."

"Because locking someone in a room and feeding them rabbit food is such kindness."

"Don't be brave," he hissed, leaning over her with a terrifying gleam in his eyes, "Heroes get nowhere in life; just look at Batman. Don't try to hide your fear, because I know you are terrified, so don't try to tell me otherwise. I have been nothing but kind to you, especially since you _cheated_ at my riddle!"

"You never said that we couldn't look up the answer online!"

"I never said you could!"

"But you never said I couldn't!"

"You cheated!" He shouted louder, slamming his hands on both sides of her as he leaned in really close; Emily shrunk back into the couch as far as she could, trying to escape as he continued, "And you will pay the price for it; you will **submit**. But, my Pet, not today."

"…Why not today?" She asked cautiously, keeping her eyes set on his tie as she tried to ignore his piercing gaze, "Why not just get it over with?"

"Because you answered the last riddle correctly," he breather, taking one of his hands and stroking her cheek, "at the school. I was watching, you know; to make sure you didn't cheat. You did try, but your incompetent students didn't know the answer-"

"Don't insult my students," she hissed, leaning up with fire in her eyes as she grabbed his tie, "Don't **ever**__insult my students."

"Or what?" He challenged; their eyes were locked on one another until eventually he smiled softly, "Oh Pet…" He dipped his head down and pressed his lips to her, catching her a million miles off guard; he stayed there, moving his hands to cup her face and pull her closer to him

Emily was frozen in shock, her eyes wide and lips parted; suddenly, she felt his tongue slip into her mouth, causing her to gasp. She tried to pull back but his grip tightened and his face contorted in anger; he pulled back slightly, "Stop struggling."

He dipped back down and forced his mouth on hers, causing her to squeal and try to move away; he snarled softly and pushed her to lie down on the couch, pinning her body with his and holding her arms above her head. She wiggled a bit more before slumping back, letting his leg rub against her own and his tongue exploring her mouth.

He continued for a little bit before pulling back, looking at her flushed cheeks while she panted, and trying to catch her breath. He stared at her with a wide smile, his bright green eyes not leaving hers.

"Well," he hummed, leaning back and getting off, "That was fun. And, it was the perfect starter for our activities this weekend.

"What activities?" She whispered, leaning back.

"Our Valentine's Day plans."

"….what?"

"We are spending Valentine's weekend together!" He exclaimed, looking down at her like an excited puppy, "I was going to just kill you, after torturing you of course, but then I realized, what kind of gentleman would I be if I killed a beautiful young lady right befor Valentine's Day? I decided that if you could pass my riddle at the school, you would be worthy of my presence tomorrow."

"… Can you please just kill me?" She whispered, staring defeated at the floor, "you won't get any ransom, there is no white knight coming to rescue me and challenge you. I'm useless."

"Don't be so depressing!" He chasted, holding out a hand for her, "Come on."

Emily hesitated possibly five seconds befor taking the offered hand.

XXX

"So are you going to like push me off the balcony or something?" Emily asked, staring up at the large Victorian house, "or perhaps there is like a torture chamber in the basement."

"Oh hush," he cooed, patting her head and motioning one of the goons he brought along to get the bags out of the car, "This will be fun!"

"Sure," she muttered. He led her into the house and she gaped once inside; large marble staircases, a grand piano, endless directions, and it took like ten minutes just to get to their destination once inside the house.

"And this is where we will be staying," he hummed, walking into a large room that had a large bed and multiple furniture pieces occupying it.

"Where we will be staying?" she repeated, turning to him, "we."

"Yes, as in both us, plural, including two or more, we," he empathized, walking over to her. Emily couldn't help but compare his behavior to some animal, trying to assert dominance over the weaker. Most in Emily's position may have not given in, made some smart ass comment to throw him off guard or would even challenge his authority; but she was a coward.

Yes, she had her moments of bravery when absolutely livid, and she could be a smart ass because it came natural to her, but she was afraid of pushing him more then she already had. She didn't want to die, and if that meant playing this little game until Batman could save her then so be it.

She averted her eyes to the floor as he came closer, refusing to meet his burning gaze; she might of stared at the floor all night had she not heard him chuckle softly and felt his hands cup her cheeks. He tilted her head up and leaned in, his breath hot against her face as he pulled her body closer.

"Emily," he murmured, getting closer until his lips were just barely brushing hers, "what are you doing?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly, lifting one hand hesitantly to grip his jacket, "I honestly don't." Apparently, that answer must have pleased him because he leant in all the way, taking her lips and trapping her in his arms.

Judging by last time, she decided to not fight back; after all, she wanted to live. She swallowed a bit of her pride and laced her hands in his hair; keeping a tight grip on him as she kissed back. For a moment, he must have been surprised because he yanked himself back, staring at her with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

She merely stared back, waiting for a smart ass comment or a pompous smile, but he just stood there shocked. Suddenly, without another word he walked forward, his hand raising and befor she even realized what was coming, Emily found herself on the ground with a stinging cheek.

He grabbed her neck and pulled her up a bit, his expression no longer shocked but held unrented fury as he hissed, "don't try to play me as a fool."

XXX

She didn't see him for the rest of the day; he had left her in this room and locked the door behind him. At least she had a clock with her; around seven, a goon brought in dinner, which were really good roast beef and assorted sides.

She ate slowly, keeping her eyes on the door as she waited for the Riddler to come back. After a few hours of sitting in the chair, she looked to what she had earlier discovered was a large expensive bathroom; god she wanted a shower. She looked to the door once more before getting up and running across the floor into the bathroom, planning on using what little time she had and hurrying up.

She didn't even realize, not until she had taken the shower and was reaching for the towel, that she hadn't any clothes. She peeked out and looked to the floor, feeling a cold feeling spread through her chest when she saw the floor empty. An article of clothing caught her attention on the counter and upon closer inspection realized what it was; a green, silken baby doll night piece with matching panties.

"Hell no," she whispered, looking back at the door; she was a hundred percent positive that it was not in here when she got here. So did someone- did he- come in without her even realizing it?

XXX

Emily slowly looked out the bathroom, seeing a large still human shaped lump on the bed and a bowler hat next to it. He was back, of course he was back, now what was she to do? Her face still stung from being slapped, and she did not want a repeat of the episode.

She slipped out and started to silently walk towards the couch, planning on not even trying to get in bed and to face that again.

"Don't you even dare take another step," his voice broke the roaring silence in the room; he didn't move, still laying on the bed with his ankles crossed and arms cradling behind his head, "come to this bed, right now."

Emily hesitated befor walking over to it carefully, he moved one arm and she flinched ever so slightly; he patted the spot next to him, "come, Pet."

Emily laid down, obeying in fear of what rebellion would bring; he shifted now, grabbing her waist and pulling his uncomfortably close, he breathed softly in her ear as he made himself comfortable.

"Now listen here, and listen well," he said in a threateningly calm voice, "The game you think you are playing, quit while you're ahead. You can't play me, you can't reason with me, and you can't survive me; I am going to kill you. Depending on you is how long you are going to live; we are going to enjoy the rest of our weekend, and you are not going to try to con me or escape me. When we get back to Gotham we will start our little games, but until then, enjoy the calm befor the storm. And Emily? Happy Valentine's Day."

XXX


	5. Of Questions and Bats

**A special thanks to bow-and-arrow-lover for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thank you to conjure for favoring All Because I Love You.**

**Finally, a special thanks to Flowerchild23 and 510angel for reviewing!**

**XXX**

When Emily was five, they asked her what she wanted to do when she got older; to which she answered she wanted to be a princess. They asked her again when she was twelve, and to please them, she said something important, like a doctor or a lawyer. When she was graduating high school, they wanted a set answer, and by then, she knew, she wanted to be a teacher.

She didn't want all the money or fame in the world, but her own little slice of heaven; she didn't want to be loved by many, but loved greatly by few. And she was happy, staying in the side lines and out of the spot light, so really, she couldn't understand why it had been her that now had the full and undivided attention of one of Gotham's most dangerous Rouges.

"What's your favorite color?" Edward asked, his hands folded on his stomach while his gaze never left Emily. They were lying on the large couch that had sat in their shared room, Edward at one end and Emily at the other, facing one another.

"Blue," she answered, a little bored.

"Well that doesn't tell me much," he insisted, "be more specific."

"A teal or turquoise," she huffed, "possibly Sea Green." He hummed and turned his gaze out the window, watching as a bird landed on the balcony and smiled, "Okay, what is your favorite child hood memory?"

"I don't know," Emily sighed, letting her head fall back as she closed her eyes.

"New rule to the game," he decided, lightly prodding her leg with his foot, "for every answer you give and 'I don't know' or 'I don't have one to' or I am not satisfied with, I get to do something to you."

"Do what?" she asked cautiously , pressing herself a little farther back into the couch.

"Ah," he smiled viciously, "you will just have to wait and find out; now, what is your favorite child hood memory?"

"When I was six," she answered with haste, "I found a loose snake in the playground at my school, and I took it inside with me without the teachers noticing. When their backs were turned, I dropped it in the back pack of a girl I hated; well the end of the day came and while I was starting to walk home I just suddenly heard her start screaming."

"Oh really?" he was laughing, or trying not to, "and were you ever caught?"

"The girl knew. She is now my best friend but that is beside the point."

"So you do have a bad side…" he hummed, "Okay, favorite animal."

"The cat," she said with a shrug. Suddenly, she found herself pinned back, Edward was on top of her with his face right above hers; she went to ask what the hell he thought he was doing befor suddenly he was kissing her.

Now, from past experience, Emily knew not to fight back but at the same time not to engage; just let him have his fun. She waited a few minutes until he pulled away, pressing his forehead to hers and whispering out, "as fun as this has been, it's time we get back to Gotham and take care of business; vacation is over with.

**XXX**

The Riddler paced around Emily, who sat in the old wooden chair, to which she was hand cuffed, "Now tell me," Edward asked slowly, "where did the bat take you while he was hunting me down?"

"I don't know," Emily answered tiredly, looking at the wall as she refused to look up, "some safe house."

"And where was this safe house?" he growled, leaning down with a furious expression.

"I don't know-"

SMACK

Emily cut off as the left side of her face started to go numb, looking at the floor as tears stung behind her eyes.

"Where?"

"I told you I don't know," she whispered, her voice breaking. He leant back and against the wall he ran his fingers through his hair, "Well hasn't today just been productive?"

"Alright," he concluded, pushing himself off the wall and grabbing his cane, "It's time for your riddle; I am at the beginning of the end, and at the end of time, I am in nowhere, and at the same time am in everywhere. What am I?"

"The letter E." Emily answered simply; Edward turned and smiled down at her, "Very good! It looks like you get dinner tonight!" He hadn't fed her the day before because she had failed a riddle, and the same thing the day before that; so Emily couldn't help but smile at the prospect of eating.

"I'll have you escorted back to your room, and then I will have someone to retrieve your dinner," he called behind him as he left the room. As soon as she was sure he had gone, she started to look around desperately, looking for an escape.

There was no way, and Emily knew that before she began looking but she knew she had to try; there was a small glass window near the far ceiling, and there was a chair right under it the Riddler often used, but surely he would not make escape so easy….

"Miss Parks," Emily gasped and looked to the window, her eyes starting to water when she saw who had it opened and was extending a hand, "please, come with me."

Emily hadn't the slightest hesitation in taking the hand of Batman and allowing him to pull her from inside the room; taking her and escaping into the night she felt no guilt when she heard the sound of fighting going on from inside the Riddler's hideout.

**XXX**

"You said I was safe!"

They had landed on the roof of a building; and as soon as Emily had her feet on the ground she swung for the Bat.

"You said you caught him!" she snarled, ripping herself away from him, "You let him take me!"

"We had him!" he shouted right back turning as he looked out over Gotham, "He had the Penguin and the Scarecrow distract us on the other side of Gotham while he broke out and came and got you! He planned on us catching him, so we would take you out of protective custody."

"So what now?" She cried, burying her face in her hands, "I can't leave Gotham, but I can't stay either!"

"I think I may have a solution," Batman stated, holding out his hand, "But you have to trust me."

**XXX**

**Na Na Na Come On.**

**I don't know. So here is this week's chapter, and I am really glad you guys like the Valentine's special. Also, very important, I may be changing the update schedule for this story. I'm not sure yet, but this may be moved to instead of every week to every two weeks, because I just started up another one of my stories that's a Jonathan/OC and am obligated to update that one first and foremost since it's my oldest.**

**Anyways, question of the week, do you guys have a favorite movie and what is it? My all-time favorite movie is a toughie, but I'd have to go with The Sound of Music. **

**Furthermore, I love you guys, and I will see you next week,**

**-Sketch1997**


	6. New Name and New Life

**Special Thanks to Bat-teen 28, Airleina and Live-Laugh-Sing for Following ABILY;**

**And another special thanks to Bat-teen28 for favoring ABILY.**

**Finally, special thanks to Flowerchild23, Johanna Crane, and Live-Laugh-Sing for reviewing ABILY**

**XXX**

"Miss Parks," Batman gestured to the older man who stood on top of the police station, right next to the huge Bat Signal, "this is Commissioner Gordon; Commissioner, this is Emily Parks, kidnap victim of the Riddler."

"Miss Parks," Commissioner Gordon shook her hand, looking slightly upset, "first of all, let me apologize for your circumstances."

"I'd say it's all right. But it isn't really." Emily shivered slightly and looked around, "So Batman said he had a plan; what is it?"

The men looked at one another, as if seeing who would propose it; finally, Batman, who was used to being the pariah, turned to Emily, "We believe you have two options, either move out of Gotham and far far away, or we can fake your death and allow you to take on a whole new identity."

'Wow he doesn't beat around the bush, does he?' Emily thought, looking out to Gotham. She should be more upset then this, having never wanted to be in this circumstance, having bee inconvenienced too many times now, but she felt numb.

She could leave Gotham, but where would she go? She had never left, preferring the smog filled city she knew compared to the horrors of the unknown.

But what would she really have if she stayed? She wouldn't be able to teach anymore, and that was pretty much all she ever wanted to do, having nothing else that ever stood out to her.

"I suggest leaving Gotham," Gordon quipped from behind; Emily turned and shook her head, "No… no; I can't leave Gotham, it's my home. It's all I have ever known."

"Then we have to kill you," Batman gwuffed, crossing his large and armored arms, "We have a sponsor, for things like this. We will have you a new name, new background, new home and job. You will never be able to contact any friends or family; I would suggest staying as far off the grid as you possibly can."

"I choose that." Emily said without hesitation, "Kill me, okay?"

"…If that is what you want." Gordon decided.

"And you are sure the Riddler won't get me?"

"Positive."

**XXX 2 Months Later XXX**

Honestly, Emily found that being dead wasn't such a bad thing. The most she missed was her students, but even then, she gained new ones; Batman had somehow found her a new job indeed, her dream job, as an English professor at Gotham University.

He found her a new house; small and story book like, it had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a cozy kitchen, a front and back yard, a living room with a fire place, and a small dining room. Where he found it, she had no clue; but she did know that he literally gave it to her, and paid the first three month's bills in advance.

Her funeral had been last week, which she refused to attend. Emily was remorseful, but at the same time, was happy with this new opportunity.

The Riddler had been caught the night Batman rescued her, and was still in Arkham. As far as Emily had been informed, he believed her dead and had moved on to more interesting things. So she was safe, but she still wasn't taking any chances.

She had to dye her hair black, so now she had to admit it had a nice inky completion to it; and it helped her pale green eyes stand out more. Batman insisted she ditch the contacts and take up glasses, only in order to make herself more unrecognizable.

Her name was now Samantha Green, a name she didn't really approve or like but was stuck with none the less.

So what now?

Would she spend her entire life in a standstill of deceiving normalcy? What was to happen if God forbid she found someone she may want to settle down with; would she be allowed to indulge in them her true identity, or would she be stuck with the pathetic alias her entire life?

**XXX**

Emily sighed angrily as stood and placed her book down; she had been previously sat in the living room, happily reading away but the thoughts simply kept swirling in her head, eating away at her peace of mind she tricked herself in.

She was alive, though, and mostly happy; so with that thought in mind, she moved on to get ready for work. She would be okay.

**XXX**

**This is very important guys, I am changing the update schedule. Next week I will without a doubt give you guys a decent chapter, but this was simply a filler to smooth out all the wrinkles. From next week on, I will update every two weeks so I have time for my other stories. **

**The faster I write the sooner I can get the chapters out and that means the sooner I complete the stories and that means I can publish new stories. Like today in Geometry class I got this really good idea for a small Riddler/OC but I can't, I shan't, publish it until I have at least one story dropped from my plate.**

**So, until next time, and hey, if you could spare a moment, check out my fic "Beautiful Lie", it's a Crane/OC/Scarecrow in the Batman Begins/ Dark Knight category so go and be amazed that I can actually make a story long and somewhat interesting albeit predictable, **

**-Sketch1997**


	7. Old Friends and New Pets

**Very Special thanks Camelotand221b and Fictional History for following ABILY;**

**And another Special thanks to Camelotand221b and Fictional History for favoring ABILY!**

**Finally, a special thank you to Flowerchild23, Christine and Johanna Crane for reviewing!**

**Review Responses:**

**Johanna Crane: As a matter of a fact, I have no clue for "Beautiful Lie" sequel, other than I know I am doing one. I am defiantly going to do a sequel because it is my most successful story so far, but I may take a week or two off because I would like to get an outline for the story done so I don't run into a block like last time. But I swear to everything I love I will have a sequel for it up. **

**Christine: I am so glad you like my story, and I agree that Oswald and Edward are too my favorites on Gotham!**

**Flowerchild23: I defiantly would have left Gotham; any sane person would have. But Emily is very complicated, in the way that she would rather face the horrors she knows rather than the ones she is not prepared for. **

**XXX**

Emily stretched out on her bed, yawning and slamming her hand down on the snooze button. She had to get up, she had a class to teach; and she was seventy-five percent sure she had to give them a test today.

She sighed and slid off the bed, nearly tripping over Shadow.

Shadow was a present from Commissioner Gordon, along with Delta and Connor; her pet German Shepherds. Honestly, Emily was far from a dog person; you had to walk them and let them outside and they demanded far much more attention than cats, but all in all the dogs were okay.

Delta whimpered and sat next to her as she turned on the coffee machine; Emily smiled and leaned down, scratching behind his ear as she remembered the day Gordon showed up with them:

_XXX FLASH BACK XXX_

_Emily ran her fingers through her hair, having just dyed it this inky shade of black; it was pretty, she found it mystical almost, but it was new and she was far from used to it. She had moved in to this new house only a week ago, and found it completely UN packed and looking so cozy and comfortable that it felt she lived here for ages, but it still felt strange._

_A sudden knocking at her front door encouraged her to rise, and after checking out the peep hole, she undid the six locks and opened it, finding Gordon on the other side._

"_Samantha," he greeted, "may we come in?"_

"_Yeah sure- wait, we?" He walked past her into the house and with him on two leashed were three of the smallest dogs she had ever seen, three German Shepard's. She closed the door and followed him into the living room, still eyeing the dogs carefully, "Gordon?"_

"_So," he smiled widely, "I've discussed it with Batman, and we agree that you should have at least one last line of defense in case something was to happed; may I present to you, your new guard dogs!" He gestured to the three puppies, one of which was now asleep, the other two biting the asleep one's tail, which would occasionally wag._

"_You got me puppies," she deadpanned, "I don't like dogs; and they don't look like they could do much damage to anyone."_

"_They are stronger than a normal dog," Gordon shrugged, "but not really looking fit enough to be police dogs, so we decided they would be best with you."_

"_Dear Jesus Gordon, I can't take care of three dogs!" Emily snapped, glaring at the older man, "I don't want three dogs! I want my cat back, I will even take a fish; but not- where the hell are you going?"_

"_Well good luck with them! Supplies is in your hall way; till next time, Miss Parks!" And with that, the commissioner retreated, tossing the leashes to a baffled Emily and escaping out the front door. The puppies looked up at her; one of them yawned and they all stayed sitting, waiting for a command. _

_She sighed and bent down, "well, you three are kinda cute, I guess. But how do they expect me to tell you apart?" That was when she noticed the collars around their next, all black, she read the small silver circle tags, "Shadow, Delta, and Connor."_

_The puppies looked up at her pitifully, one of them-Connor- whimpered softly and butted his head against her hand._

"_Dammit Gordon," She muttered, picking them up and attempting to her them into her room, "that bastard knew I couldn't say no."_

_XXX FLASH BACK OVER XXX_

She had them for three months now, they had gotten larger and they had gotten a tiny more threatening. She smiled and stood, "yep, I guess things are going good."

**XXX**

"Now, I asked you all to find one topic from anyone who is considered a Greek philosopher, and to tell us about them," Emily smiled from her podium in front of her students; full grown adults who chose to come to college after high school, people who chose to be here and learn.

The class shuffled, taking papers and thumb drives out as Emily called out, "So, who wants to go first?"

"I will Miss Green!" One of them volunteered, hurrying to the front with a stack of papers and a thumb drive; Emily walked to her desk and sat down, watching with faint boredom as she watched the student walk through their slides, answering an occasional question.

She looked down at her newspaper and sighed, reading the front quietly to herself as the student finished and the next took their place, "murder….murder…..theft…..murder…..Scarecrow victim kidnapped?"

Emily leaned down towards the paper a bit more, examining the article:

"_SCARECROW VICTIM KIDNAPPED FROM GOTHAM MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  
written by Melinda May_

_Thirty people were hospitalized from the Scarecrow attack on Arkham Asylum's Valentines Party two weeks ago. One of the victims, Nurse Hannah Key, former college of Jonathan Crane, was kidnapped from the Gotham Memorial Hospital last night. There were only two casualties, a security guard by the name of Mike Schmidt, and Doctor Michael Yew, who was transporting Hannah Key to a different room outside of the ICU._

_Police Commissioner James Gordon has released no statement concerning this matter, except that "We, the Gotham Police force, will do everything in our power to return Miss Key to safety, and to put the Scarecrow away for good."_

Emily pursed her lips and leant back in her chair, watching the rest of the presentations but not really paying attention. She remembers Hannah White; she was her best friend, one of the few people Emily regretted leaving behind for this new life.

And now Hannah was in trouble; with a rogue as dangerous as the Riddler. Why did he take her? What use did she possess for him; oh god, hopefully the Scarecrow had no infatuation with her, because if he was anything like the Riddler….

**XXX**

"Miss Parks." Emily sighed and turned around, finding the Batman standing in the threshold of her kitchen, "Well hello there, Bat."

"You were an associate with Miss Key?"

"Yes," she set down her tea and lent against the counted, "She has been my best friend for a very, very long time. Why?"

"I am trying to figure out if her abduction can be linked to you, as perhaps revenge from the Riddler."

"Well I don't think so," Emily defended, "I'm dead, remember? Besides, this has to be something else, there is no way I am involved. But if there is any way I can help, please let me know."

"Very well," Batman nodded and looked down; Delta had clamped down on his cape, looking up at the vigilante with an innocent expression, "Are you enjoying you new pets?"

"They are okay," Emily said as she walked forward, pulling the dog off him, "Got to say, I miss Zoe; where did you send her?"

"A friend," he said simply, turning towards the door as he started to exit, "offered to take her. She really loves felines."

"Uh-Hu," Emily crossed her arms and leant back, "Well, it's been nice seeing you, but I have to get to bed; goodnight, Batman."

"Miss Parks," he nodded, disappearing as she shook her head; Emily looked behind her and saw all three of her dogs sitting by the foot of her stairs, their eyes trained upon her without waiver.

"Oh don't let that nasty wacko get to you," she cooed, patting their heads, "he is okay once you get to know him; a bit dense, but we can't really help that."

She walked up her steps and into her bedroom, leaving the door open for the dogs. She pulled her hair out of the messy bun she made and headed for her bed, staring at it longingly as she thought of the blissful sleep that awaited her. She collapsed on the soft bed and sighed; reaching for her covers when a cold breeze blew into her room.

She opened her eyes at this, knowing there should be no breeze, when they landed on an open window; the curtains fluttered slightly, reminding Emily of a horrible movie cliché, and she knew she was either about to be swept off her feet by the love of her life or she was about to be brutally murdered.

Looking out, she saw nothing but the twinkling light of Gotham and heard the distant sirens of police as they rushed here and there, attempting to keep the peace. She hummed and closed the window, locking it and pulling the blinds as she leaned back and walked back to bed.

She collapsed once more and drew the covers around her; sighing as her mind drew up the conclusion she must of left the window up earlier.

'_Yeah,' _she thought sleepily, _'I must of opened it while drawing earlier; I must have forgotten about it when I went for a cup of tea….. I left my tea downstairs when Batman dropped by….'_

She heard a faint shuffle in her room and murmured out, "You can come up on the bed, boy." She patted hand to her left, expecting Connor to jump up because he was the one that like to lie next to her.

She felt her bed shift and she sighed happily rolling over to where she faced the pressure; her eyes still closed and hand reaching out blindly for the feel of soft fur.

A soft chuckle reached her ears and she felt a hand grasp her own; Emily's eyes snapped open and took a few seconds to adjust to the dark, her heart stopping when she made out who was above her, one knee on the bed where she thought her dog was.

"I found you," he whispered, lunging forward and pushing her down; he moved and was now straddling her waist, both her arms pinned on either side of her head.

"Riddler," she spat, arching her back in an attempt to get him off, "what- how?!"

"I am the Riddler," he cooed softly, a sick and angry smile on his face, his eyes alight with fury, "You couldn't possible think you could have really escaped-" that was enough for Emily; having managed to knee him in the gut she took off.

She scrambled off her bed and stumbled out of her bedroom, passing her dogs that were whimpering and staring at her pitifully. She made it to the top of the stairs but panicked, turning and letting a scream start from her lips. He was right behind her, and reached out to grab her; but Emily wasn't really ever coordinated and misjudged the distance between where she was and the rest of the stairs were.

Befor she could blink she felt herself start to fall, pitching backwards she caught Edward's eyes once more as her head hit the first step and before her world went black.

**XXX**

**Should I end this chapter there? Nah, I'm not THAT mean…. Maybe.**

**XXX**

Emily was firstly aware that everything hurt, and she couldn't move. It wasn't even a stabbing pang that was her entire focus, but a numb dull throbbing everywhere. What happened?

The last thing she remembered was crawling in bed, and then…. A blur. She opened one eye and automatically closed it again, it was way too bright. After a few minutes she finally gained the courage to try again, and when she realized where she was she wished she hadn't.

The familiar office was just as she remembered it, wires and blueprints and puzzles and over all just this cozy clutter of objects. She was on her old couch, worn and dark green, she sighed in relief when she realized she was alone. She attempted to sit up only to groan and lay still, god everything hurts….

"Oh good, for a little while there I suspected you dead." Edward entered the room, and Emily got a good look at him. He looked different from last she saw him; he had faint bristles on his chin and jaw, indicating he hadn't shaved in a while, he appeared more skinny then last time, almost unhealthily so, and he had this look in his eye.

"Don't," he commanded softly, leaning against his desk, "don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Try and analyze me, like the doctors at Arkham." He clarified; he closed his eyes slightly and sighed, "I nearly forgot about you; I've been trying my damnest this entire time not to, and yet I barely did. I have to admit that Batman nearly had me fooled, I honestly thought you dead. I suppose it's a good thing that Jon…"

"What?" Emily demanded, "Jon who? How did you figure out I was still alive-"

"That can be discussed later," he straightened and walked over to her, leaning over to where her back was lying flat on the couch in her desperate attempt to get away from him, "right now, you need to rest; that was a nasty fall down the stairs, you should be happy you didn't break anything…"

He straightened and regarded her with the same arrogance that she was used to and she muttered, "When we were last together, you promised that you would kill me. Can't you just do it now?"

"Oh no," he smiled, his eyes prideful as he was showing his happiness of being back in control, "that would be far too easy."

**XXX**

**NANANANANANANANANANA**

**IM DONE. **

**For this week, and next week, then this one gets updated. I don't know. I might change it around again because this week is the last chapter for another one of my stories. But, I am going to be writing a corresponding story with this one that involves Jonathan Crane and my new OC Hannah Key.**

**Yep.**

**You want to know how the Riddler found Emily. You want to know how he broke out of Arkham, and how he found her so quickly. WELL then tune in next chapter because I will explain it all; or at the very least in the story I mentioned in the previous paragraph, because as of right now I am going to try to get the first chapter up while putting this chapter up. But don't hold me to it because I am trying to fine tune out the bugs.**

**So.**

**Question of the Week! What is your favorite color?**

**Mine is specifically Sea green; because I can never decide between blue and green so Sea Green is just the perfect mix for me.**

**Anyways, I will see you guys, in the next chapter!**

**-Sketch1997**


	8. Of Friends and Threats

**Special thanks to SupernaturalGirl51799, hauntingwolf, and M4ddieG for following All Because I love You;**

**And another special thanks to teemarie, hauntingwolf, Sissel's a Cute Bad-aft, and LunaMarr for favoring All Because I Love you!**

**Finally, a special thanks to Flowerchild23, Live-Laugh-Sing, and Johanna Crane.**

**Flowerchild23: me too, I can never decide what my favorite color is for too long, because I change my mind every minute; but it is never pink or yellow.**

**Johanna Crane: Yes! A new Crane/ OC story; it will be circling in this universe around Jonathan and Emily's friend Hannah. I'm glad my chapter was good, and I agree there are far too little Crane stories. Although, I found that if I find other stories for my other favorite characters (currently, I'm stuck on Fenrir Greyback in Harry Potter and will be publishing a story for him hopefully this summer) that the lack of fanfiction isn't as heartbreaking. And you cosplay? Cool, I'm more like a bystander at conventions, complementing outfits and buying merchandise. **

**XXX**

"Tell me how you found me."

"No." The Riddler deadpanned, not looking up from his cross word puzzle. Emily glared at him from the couch, leaning against it warily as she never let her gaze leave him; she didn't trust him anywhere enough to look away.

"Why am I here?" she sighed, rubbing her fore head; honestly, she had been sitting here a week, back to eating rabbit food, and barely saw him, the few times she did see him he was sitting at the desk taking notes on something he refused to let her see.

"Because I am going to kill you for cheating my game- twice." He paused slightly and looked up, as if gauging her reaction.

"You know, had you been more successful in the grocery store or on Valentines- I'd probably have taken your suggestion seriously." Emily dead panned.

"Do you doubt me?" he questioned slowly, standing up without looking at her, "Do you doubt my ability to take your life?"

"No," she hastened, "I have no doubt that you could kill me; but I believe the reason I am still alive today is because you've become attached to me."

Silence enveloped the room; Emily kept her eyes on the Riddler and back against the couch, Edward still stood at his desk with his hands gripping the edge of it, his eyes still down cast. After a few moments he straightened suddenly, knocking half of the objects on his desk over as he rounded it and moved towards her.

Emily went to scramble back but forgot she was on the couch, and she went to get up- only to have him already descended upon her. He grabbed her arms and yanked him towards her, pressing her against the desk as he invaded every in of her personal space. He leant forward, and Emily could now see his eyes that were alight with fury, "You dare challenge me?"

"…" Emily opened her mouth but found herself befuddled on what she was supposed to say; probably no, she should most likely assure him of his genius or whatever, but couldn't will her voice to work.

"Answer me," he demanded in a dangerous whisper, "Tell me, what makes you think yourself so valuable?" He chuckled softly and leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers gently, as if waiting for her to challenge him.

She didn't bother, and merely kept her eyes closed while praying he would be done with him little game soon enough. Thankfully, he pulled away quickly, observing her with inquisitive eyes, befor suddenly dropping her on the floor.

"You've become a nuisance," he stated, crossing his arms behind his back and looking away, "and have vexed me far too many times. I can kill you- but that might be a tad wasteful; so you will remain here while I talk with a Consultant." He turned and pointed one finger at her, "Behave, Emily."

He walked out of the room, no doubt locking it, as well.

**XXX**

"Oh Miss Parks…" Emily opened one eye to see the Riddler standing over her, his hands behind his back and a wicked gleam in his eyes, "I've decided what I am going to do with you!"

"No…." she mumbled, still 75% asleep, "Too early for this…. Go away…" She rolled over and closed her eyes, hugging a pillow close to her chest. He sighed in a frustrated manner before she felt him grab her and heave her over his shoulder.

"Hey-" she objected as he started to carry her out of his office; he took her down a maze of hallways and by time she realized she should be trying to escape, he had already arrived at a large room and locked her in it with him.

"So," he stated, dropping her on a large bed and crossing his arms, "I've decided what I am going to do with you." She looked around, finding herself in a large bedroom done entirely in green, and looked back to him, "You're going to kill me and put me out of my misery?"

"No," he laughed, shaking his head, "you see, apparently, it is a new trend among us rogues to find partners and sidekicks, and my friend Jon just got his. I can't be the only one, and you aren't entirely stupid, so I am thinking you can be my partner."

"… Can't you just kill me?"

"No. And in all honesty, you would be more like my assistant, my second in command; higher ranking then my thugs, lower than me…"

"Well I refuse," she crossed her arms, "I will not play a part in these games and-"

"That's hilarious," he drawled, "you honestly believe you have a choice." He walked forward and while Emily was trying to hurry backwards he climbed on top of her, his hands on either side of her head.

"…We end up in this position a lot," she squeaked out after a few minutes of awkward silence; he chuckled and leaned down to where his lips were at her ear, "You're right. I'm starting to believe you enjoy me on top." She blushed deeply and sunk farther in to the bed, "Please back up."

"No," he breathed, moving to where his lips brushed her neck; she bit her lip when she felt him start to kiss the crook between her neck and her shoulder, his hand finding her waist and pulling her closer. Her breath hitched and she gripped his shoulders, "Wait-"

"I've waited long enough," he growled, gripping the back of her head and yanking her lips to his; she groaned when his tongue licked her bottom lip, urging her to open her mouth. She let her hands roam from his neck to his hair, closing her eyes and playing along.

She was careful this time, trying to make it look like she wasn't as willing as the first time she attempted to fool him, and gently pulled at the back of his hair, "No-"

"Can't you just let me have my fun," he whined, pulling back and resting his forehead against hers, "It's not like I intend to fuck you right here and now." She felt her blush deepen at his choice of words and he laughed while continuing, "No, first I would get you a decent dinner-" she doubled her efforts to get from under him at his words.

She pressed both hands to his shoulders and started to edge from underneath him, and he merely sighed, "Come on now, Emily, does this mean you accept my offer?"

"No!" She groaned in annoyance when he rolled over to where she was once again completely under him, "I don't understand why you just can't kill me-"

"Because I refuse to be left behind!" he snarled, yanking her to where her head rested on his chest, "Rumor has it that even Zsas has a partner, and Jervis has a new 'Alice' and Jon has that nurse now!"

Emily stared up at him for a few minutes as she processed his words; the rogues were searching for partners? And wait, when he said 'Jon', did he mean- "Jonathan Crane? Is that Jon?"

"…Yes." He answered carefully after a few minutes and Emily laid there processing; she had a certain dislike for that rogue, considering, according to the papers, her best friend Hannah Key had been kidnapped by him shortly before Edward came and got her- again.

The Riddler said that Crane has "that nurse", Hannah was a nurse at Arkham, and the Riddler wasn't this determined to make her his partner last time- so that means Crane must have gotten his nurse recently-

The Scarecrow is intending on making Hannah his partner.

"He has Hannah!" she breathed struggling, "He has my friend!" The Riddler didn't look surprised, which lead her to suspect, "you knew?"

"….Yes," his lips pressed in a thin line, not looking away from her own face, it was almost like he was waiting for her to place the pieces together, like there was more then what she originally found. Edward, after a few minutes, sighed and rolled over, "There is a shower through that room right there, go get cleaned up and then we can talk more."

**XXX**

As she stood in the shower, Emily's mind raced on what more there could be. It wasn't until she was out of the shower, and standing in front of the Riddler, that she decided to momentarily give up. He was dressed in nothing but boxers, green ones, and gestured to bed, "Okay, now sleep."

"I'm not a dog," she hissed, placing her hands on her hips; he had given her a new pair of panties, but that was as far as he seemed to have gotten as far as providing her own clothes, because he handed her one of his t-shirts to wear.

"We can talk more in the morning," he implored, running one hand through his ruffled hair, "But for now, please, can we just sleep?" She noticed the bags under his eyes, she heard the slight plea in his voice, and if not for the fact that he looked exhausted and miserable, she may have dragged it out more.

She grumbled under her breath about stupid rogues, and crawled into the large kind sized bed; she made sure to be at the other side when suddenly the bed dipped, signaling he had now crawled in.

He let one arm trail out and he pulled her close to him, holding her back to his chest as he nuzzled into her shoulder, "Goodnight, Emily."

"…" should she answer; eh, what the hell, she might as well, "Goodnight, Edward."

**XXX**

It came to her at 4 A.M., she had been woken out of a dead sleep when the realization of how Edward found her hit her hard.

"Riddler," she hissed, yanking herself out of his arms and shaking his shoulder, "Riddler!"

"What?" he yawned looking around, "are we being attacked? Did I leave something in the oven?"

"It was Hannah," she whispered, her voice getting thick, "Hannah was the only one other than Gordon and Batman that knew where I was- so she was the one who sold me out."

He stared at her for a few moments, befor nodding, "Yes."

**XXX**

**I Feel… disappointed. I meant to have a St. Patties day special but… life sucks. My spring break though isn't next week but the week after, which gives me plenty of time to make new chapters, hopefully publish new stories, and I am hoping to wrap up one of my stories by then (Beautiful Lie).**

**I just am tired I guess- not just physically but mentally I am simply gone. It HAS gotten to that point in the school year where not only are the students developing a "Fuck this shit all to the seventh ring of hell" attitude, myself included, but the teachers are just the same way. **

**I feel like our education system cares more about giving us grades and comparing us to the rest of the world then actually teaching us things we will use the rest of our lives. I want to be an English Teacher, but they are teaching me how to be a mechanic. I love to learn, but I hate going to school; not because of the effort it takes, I can handle that, but I don't feel as though I am expanding on areas I should be expanding on.**

**No question of the week(s), just, if you feel like it, continue on my debate from above. How do you feel about your education system? What do you want your profession to be?**

**I love you guys, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sketch1997**


	9. Rules and New Friends

**Special Thanks to whiteink254, twilighter256, The Arkham Knight, sussy6, Dragekite, xxyangxx2006 for Following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks to The Arkham Knight, sussy6, Dragekite, xxyangxx2006 for favoring All Because I Love You!**

**Finally, special thanks to Flowerchild23, Johanna Crane, lunabloodmoon666, LunaMarr, xxyangxx2006 for reviewing All Because I Love You!**

**Flowerchild23: damn straight she is hurt. I once didn't talk to one of my friends for a month because she ate the last slice of pizza, so imagine how Emily will react. Nah, she is actually really easy going with Hannah, and in a few chapters, you will find out why she reacts the way she does in this chapter.**

**Johanna Crane: I love fancy sounding words; and as for bad English Teachers, once in the tenth grade I had a substitute throw a dry erase marker at my friend, they got in a disagreement on whether color was spelt 'color' or 'colour', and the teacher got pissed because she thought it was 'colour' and our class was like 'no lady we know how to spell and you are wrong'.**

**Lunabloodmoon666: They didn't teach you about the world wars? All my history class taught me this past year was about the damn World wars; that's all they have ever taught me except when I lived in Oklahoma and was taking their state history I learned in OKC they were the first to use shopping carts. And I swear to god if you open a bakery I will find you and eat all the muffins in the store- unless they have coconut in them. My dream job often varies, but in the end I decided English would suit me best.**

**LunaMarr: I deserved to be faved! Aw, you are my favorite reader (I don't know, you probably dead leveled with Johanna Crane, that chick is pretty awesome, but you are all awesome for reading my story!) And I agree, the Riddler and Crane are just oh so- gah, delicious is the only thing I can explain them with.**

**Xxyangxx2006: I think you are the first to review that directly sympathized that Emily just wants to be left alone, that she really just wants her own little piece of heaven and is happy lost in the crowd. And you will see how she reacts to Hannah's betrayal here.**

**XXX**

"Get up and eat something." The Riddler commanded, placing food net to her. Emily had been lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and planned on staying that way, still upset over the betrayal of her closest friend, the person who was practically her sister-

Then Emily smelled the eggs and bacon, literally.

Her head snapped over to the plate the Riddler brought her, and on it was something that could be considered heaven; eggs, bacon, toast, and sausage sat befor her, and the rogue that brought her this was smiling wide.

"I knew that'd get your attention," he hummed triumphantly, turning and walking to the television on the opposite side of the room, "eat quickly! We have work to do."

She ate quickly, until, of course, she realized he was watching the news: _"And there are still no reports on now four missing Gothamites: Samantha Green, Hannah Key, Alice Pleasance, and Melinda Cruise. All victims of we suspect rogues, the fifth missing citizen was found dead in a ditch the other day; Sarah Kain was found with what we were told were a mutilated throat from what appeared to be a crocodile."_

The Riddler made a small tsk and shook his head, "Waylon was never too gentle with his toys, and it's not surprising his didn't last long."

"_The Gotham Police Department has once again released a statement saying they are doing all that they can to help these people, but in the nearly two weeks, there have been no leads. Stay in for the latest news."_

Emily swallowed the last of her eggs and pushed the plate away, starting to feel sick. So she was missing- vaguely, she wondered why her and the others were getting so much attention; people went missing every day in Gotham, this wasn't new.

So why-

"Are you going to sit there all day or are you going to join me?" the Riddler interrupted her train of thought; his hands spread out of the back of the couch and the television off.

Emily hesitantly slid out of the bed, walking barefoot over to him; he smiled up at her and patted the space next to him, "Come." Biting back her pride a bit, she obeyed; sitting as far away as she possibly dared, she made sure her eyes were downcast.

"Now," he started, "as my assistant, I expect you to do all the little things I don't have time to do. Clean this room, and through that door over there is a kitchen; you are in charge of cooking meals for me and you. You will be awake, every morning at eight and will go to bed no later than eleven; you will attend meetings with me whenever I have business, and you will be silent. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she hissed, clenching her fists in the couch; if she refused him, he would hurt her. And besides, she couldn't help herself from clinging to some small hope she would see Hannah sometime; Emily needed to have a little talk with her.

"Good," he purred, happy at her compliance, "now, I laid out clothes for you in the bathroom; take a shower and get dressed quickly, we have shopping to do today."

"Shopping?" she asked, turning to look at him in confusion, "you? Shop? Don't your thugs do that for you?"

"Would you rather go with them?" he sighed exasperated.

"No-" she hurried to get changed, not wanting to risk shopping with some of his more nasty looking thugs.

**XXX**

Well- Emily almost regretted not shopping with the thugs. Every five minutes he asked her a god damn riddle. She hated riddles.

The jobs he forced her to accompany him on were menial and mundane- picking up dry cleaning, buying groceries, and so on and so forth. There were no seedy pubs where they purchased illegal items and no killings- it was, in lack of a more appropriate word, boring, to Emily.

"Now," he hummed, turning and stopping behind a large building, "come with me darling; I have to talk with an associate of mine. You are to remain utterly quiet unless spoken to- and even then, be of few words."

"Alright," despite the day be boring and this being- well, not boring- Emily felt more fear then excitement when the muscled goon held the door open for Edward and her. She gripped his arm tightly and shivered- Edward had changed her outfit a few shops ago into a green silky evening dress; it hugged her waist in a flattering way and had two slightly ruffled yet smooth straps, and stopped just below her knees.

"Edward!" A small man beamed from the middle of a lounge, "Good to see you, ol' chap!"

"Cobblepot," Edward answered slightly mutual, "How are you? I believe you said Freeze wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes," he chuckled, "you and a few others; oh, is this dear Emily?" The man's beady, bird like eyes were trained diligently on the girl in question, and Emily smiled politely as Edward answered curtly, "yes."

"You aren't the only one to bring your new toy," Cobblepot chuckled, slightly jerking his head in the direction of two women sitting by a fire on the far side of the room, "Perhaps you would leave Emily with them while we talk?"

"Of course," Edward nodded, placing a hand on the small of Emily's back and slowly walking over to the women; he talked lowly in her ear, "Play nice, and scream if you are in trouble."

"Okay…?" He nodded and left, leaving Emily to look at the other women, "Hello."

"Hi," the blond looked up slightly with a sad smile, "so you are the one that the Riddler got? My name is Alice Pleasance; the Mad Hatter took me… again."

"Hey," the other woman had long light orange hair, and sky blue eyes, "I'm Melinda Cruise, nice to meet you. Would you like to trade Rogues? I was taken by Victor Zsasz."

"Zsasz?" Emily whispered, sitting next to them, "oh my god, and I thought I had it bad."

"I don't even know why he wants me," Melinda muttered miserably, "he barely eats, practically never talks, and only has me sharpen his knives."

"The Hatter makes me tea," Alice mumbled, glaring at the ground as if she suggested he mutilated her; the other two women just looked at her until she glanced up and said, "What? He makes me dress in doll like clothing and play little house wife- luckily he has the decency to not try and touch me."

"The Riddler hasn't made me do much," Emily admitted, leaning back, "I've been recovering from a nasty fall down the stairs- entirely his fault, by the way- I don't even know what happened to my dogs…."

"Did you hear there was a fourth girl that a rogue took?" Alice asked softly, leaning forward as if not to be overheard, "I caught rumor it was the Scarecrow's work."

"There were five of us," Emily said with a shake of her head, "I heard it on the news this morning- but the fifth was found dead."

"Oh dear," Melinda whispered, closing her eyes, "we are all going to die."

"Don't be so upset," Alice started encouragingly, "we might live- we might-"

"I think," Emily cut her off, "she was referring to who just walked through the door."

The Scarecrow talked with Cobblepot in the center, the same place he was talking with the Riddler, and by his side was-

Hannah.

She looked the same as Emily last saw her; long deep burgundy hair, warm brown eyes, and a slightly tan, tall complexion. She looked healthy- she looked happy.

The two started over here and Emily automatically looked back to the flames, not wishing to meet her former friend's eyes. She faintly felt someone sit next to her, but didn't acknowledge it; she head the others make their introductions, but didn't look up until she felt someone pinch her arms.

"Ow-"she looked over and Hannah was staring at her, her hands resting on her Emily's arm where she was pinched, "what the hell?"

"You were ignoring me," Hannah said simply, "I hate it when people ignore me."

"Well I hate it when my best friend betrays my trust and sells me out to a psychopath- so I guess we are both unhappy then."

"I'm not unhappy, just a little upset." Hannah explained, "But I would be happy if you would forgive me."

"Forgive you? It will take more than the puppy dog eyes," Emily hissed; looking away and crossing her arms, "You betrayed me."

"Of course you'd be so dramatic- you weren't an English major for nothing."

"Oh shut up," Emily grumbled, but her face loosened and her lip twitched, "You have no room to talk about our majors- you were Medical and you fainted when Carla Johnson got a nose bleed during the college wide paint ball companions."

"God I hated those," she laughed, "remember when you pushed that math major off the balcony?"

"You told me to push them off!"

"Doesn't mean you had to listen to me."

"How long have you two been friends?" Alice smiled, leaning forward and looking between two.

"Oh, since about kindergarten? "Hannah mused, looking to Emily, "We hated one another, and I honestly can't remember how we became friends."

"I put a snake in your bag," Emily explained, smiling when the rest of the girls laughed, "And after that we just started talking."

"You guys are weird," Hannah smiled slightly, leaning back, "but that's okay; we all are a little weird."

The girls sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, all transfixed with the golden red flames that we burning in the fireplace. Emily sat deep in thought; she had never been able to hold a grudge against Hannah, even now. Part of her felt relieved to have them on good terms now, in case somthing was to happen, Emily felt at peace knowing Hannah was still her friend.

"Oh Miss Alice?" the girls looked up as a blonde, slightly older gentleman came up to them, "It's time to leave, Darling." Alice grimaced slightly as she stood and brushed off her skirt, "I'm coming Jervis." She looked down at the other girls, "It was wonderful meeting all of you; I hope to see you soon."

The three watched Alice and the Mad Hatter leave; if he was out, didn't that mean that the other rogues would be out soon?

"Melinda." A man appeared befor them in a suit; bald completely and covered in tally marks, "Let's go." She sighed slightly and stood, looking to Hannah and Emily and nodding; Emily looked after her warily, slightly relieved she hadn't been stuck with Zsasz.

"Emily," a hand clamped on her shoulder, and Emily looked up to see the Riddler, "we are taking our leave; come." Emily stood and looked down at Hannah; her lips tightly pursed, she nodded in farewell as Melinda did, but was able to do no more because Hannah stood and hugged her.

Blinking, Emily wrapped her arms around her old friend, "stay safe." Hannah laughed slightly and whispered, "I will, and you do the same."

**XXX**

"What do you want for dinner?" Edward asked as he drove back to the ware house, not taking his eyes off the road, "Chinese?"

"Sure, whatever," Emily muttered, looking out the window.

"Don't look so down," Edward chasted, "this is the start a beautiful friendship darling; just trust me."

**XXX**

**A little slow a little sooner than Tuesday, but the sooner the better on this website! I decided to update a little sooner because I love you all! **

**So here is this chapter.**

**Also, a little notice, if you guys like this story, you check out my other one "Beautiful Lie"; it's a CraneXOC, but not the one that goes with this story.**

**Anyways, I love you all, and I may update again in a weekly schedule instead of two weeks because I finished a bunch of my stories.**

**See you all later!**

**-Sketch1997**


	10. Travel Plans

**Special thanks to 27-17-46-11, Jayce-Grayford, grovyleanime, and Shan Kyohaku24 for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks to 27-17-46-11, Jayce-Grayford, grovyleanime for favoring All Because I Love You.**

**Finally a special thanks to xxyangxx2006, FlowerChild23, Johanna Crane, lunabloodmoon666, LunaMarr and grovyleanime for reviewing!**

**Xxyangxx2006: Honestly their meeting just sorta happened; I didn't realize how perfect it would be until I was ready to publish the chapter.**

**FlowerChild23: Yep, they are going to all meet Harley (very soon, I might add); she will always hold a special place in my heart as she was one of the first female villain sidekicks I was introduced to. And while she is far from being my favorite, I still enjoy her character.**

**Johanna Crane: I know Emily's reaction to Hannah was mute, but for Emily, she finds it hard to flip out on the one person that puts up with her. And Hatter scares the hell out of me; even though I too am a major fan. I found out my mom was going to name me Alice, but she went with (insert my actual name here because aint no way in hell I am releasing that on the internet quite yet) instead; which wouldn't have been pretty because I was born with blonde hair and blue eyes.**

**XXX**

Emily hummed softly to a nonspecific tune; shuffle the papers from the cabinet in neat, organized pile. There wasn't much she could say she enjoyed doing more than reading; but filing, organizing, and god she loved it.

The Riddler gave her this only task since becoming his assistant; file the papers and don't look into any of the folders.

It was simple enough, even with Emily's sense of curiosity in what was in the manila folder labeled: "Jonathan's Bunny Ears". Part of her was curious, part of her was slightly unnerved; if the label was what it said, why did the Riddler have it?

Emily shook her head slightly and sighed, "How did it get like this?" She continued to file; the minutes turned into hours and she groaned when she finished her first cabinet, cracking her fingers.

"How is he so unorganized?" she grumbled, shifting her now asleep legs to the second cabinet and opened the bottom drawer, "I'd of thought a man with such OCD would keep things in a more systematical manner."

"It's nearly impossible to keep things neat when you are always on the run," The Riddler spoke from behind her; Emily jumped and turned up, Edward smiled down, "Keeping busy, pet? Having fun?"

"Oh, yes," she admitted honestly, turning and going back to her work, "I just didn't realized you had so many papers; I found one of your spelling tests from the third grade, you know."

"Your joking," he rolled his eyes, then stopped dead when Emily held up the paper in question, "…what?"

"That's what I said," Emily hummed, going back to her job. She heard the Riddler sit at his desk and decided to pay him no mind, not wanting to know what he was going to steal or whatever he was planning.

Emily let the minutes and the hours tick away, listening the sound of Edward's pencil, the clock, and the shuffle of papers. She felt oddly at ease, nearly relaxed, doing this; it was something she was good at, something she felt comfortable with.

"Emily?" The girl in question looked up, allowing Edward to continue, "I have a convention I will be attending for a few days next week, and frankly despite your good behavior I am not trusting you here alone. You will be staying with a friend, who is taking in all the assistants while the rest of the rogues are away; you will be on your best behavior, understood?"

"Who am I going with; where are you going?"

"You will be staying with Miss Quinn, and I believe Pamela Isley will be there as well; and if they are there then I wonder if Selena- never mind who you will be staying with. Not that it is any of your business where I am going, but I told you; a convention."

"Like a comic book convention?"

"…. Maybe."

"Oh my god," Emily closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, not wanting the Riddler to see the wide smile that was spreading across her face, "You are a nerd- I mean I knew you were but a convention for- *gasp* will you cosplay?"

"No."

"Oh but come on; dye your hair black and work out a bit and you might make a decent Loki." Emily suggested slightly, turning back to her work. She was greet with silence and was okay with that, albeit a little unnerved; whenever the Riddler was silent, it didn't bode well for Emily.

"Tell me, pet," he breathed softly in her ear; automatically Emily lurched away, not having heard him come up. But he grabbed her arms and pulled her back to him, "Would you like it if I dressed up?"

"What-" Emily shrunk back but he only grew closer, "I don't care- just get off-" He tsked, cutting her off, "Oh no pet, it's been a while since I've been so close to you; seeing as how you've fallen asleep on the couch nearly every night since I made you my assistant. Have you been avoiding me?"

"…No?" Emily tried, but judging by his wide smile, she knew she was screwed- hopefully not literally though, "Look, Riddler, if you want me done with all these papers by tonight and in time to cook you dinner, I need to get back to it."

"Aw," he purred, his lips brushing her throat, "But you look so beautiful when you are trying to escape me." Emily felt her face redden; no, she cannot feel attracted to this mentally unstable jerk that is only messing with her- that feels no remorse- that has hurt innocent people. But she couldn't deny the slight tug in her gut and the skipped beat of her heart when he ran his hand down her side.

"Emily…." He drawled, bringing her lips to his; it wasn't like the other times they kissed- not necessarily. True, she maybe sorta kissed him out of a little pleasure before, but mainly all the times she had given him control it had been out of self-survival.

She sighed in momentary defeat and let her hands pull at his jacket; he grinned and moved her onto her back, drawing one leg in between hers and-

RING

Edward and Emily froze, the phone ringing shrilly and vibrating on his desk; they made eye contact briefly before Edward pulled away, leaning over to his desk while Emily scrambled backwards.

"What?" He snarled, eyes furious, "Joker- no, he didn't…. Don't tell me you are serious- dammit- fine! Fine! See you in an hour." He pressed the phone to his forehead and groaned, "Emily- go pack a bag, and you will need four days' worth of clothes."

"Okay…?" Emily stood and walked out, following the route Edward had showed her from the room to his office; when she arrived back at their shared room, she obediently packed a bag filled with comfortable clothes, and a few other varieties such as a swimsuit and an evening dress. She walked around the room; one small bottle of shampoo, conditioner, a tooth brush, deodorant….

Within five minutes, she was packed and sitting on the edge of her bed, waiting for the Riddler to come in and to explain to her what is going on. When he finally did arrive, he didn't speak; merely crossed the room to Emily, and collapsed with a groan on the bed, face down.

"Are… you okay?" Emily asked, staring down at him, "You aren't dying or anything, right? I don't want your goons to think I killed you or something."

"The guy got the dates wrong for the convention," He moaned, "We have to leave tonight if we want to make it." Emily frowned sympathetically, patting his shoulder, "I'm sorry." He looked up and pouted, "Can you give me a massage?"

**XXX**

"Don't stop," Edward sighed happily; Emily was sitting on his back, rubbing his shoulder in a soothing manner; she couldn't help but smile slightly at the look on his face, "Don't you have to leave?"

"No," he hummed, "Not yet. Harley will be driving the Joker and I to the airport; and you will accompany us as well seeing as how you are staying with Harley. We have like forty-five minutes until they get here."

"Don't you have to pack?" Emily suggested, "I'm not very good at giving massages."

"I disagree; your wonderful at them," He purred, "This is another job for you as an assistant."

"Since when?" Emily questioned indignantly; Edward rolled, moving Emily on the bottom while he straddled her, "Well, my darling Emily, since now." He leaned down and kissed her, picking up where they left off.

Emily let out a soft gasp when his lips trailed down to her collar bone, nipping lightly, "Edward…?"

"Hm?" He was too busy playing with the end of her shirt to really respond.

"Can you… not?" She ventured quietly; he stopped and looked up, his eyes going cold and his face calculating, "Really?"

"Yes-" She tried to scramble back but failed- he still held her arms tight, "I just don't know how I feel about doing this with my kidnapper- and I am sorry but right now-"

"It's okay," he sighed in nearly disappointment, getting off her and lying next to her, "I expected this; don't worry about it pet. You'll come around eventually."

**XXX**

**Okay guys; would have had this out sooner, but my laptop decided it now wanted to crash. I had to reboot it, and then type all this over again.**

**So, the next chapter will come before Saturday, since I already have the premise of it and need simply to type it out (again).**

**Until then, question of the week: Guilty Celebrity Crush? You know that one actor/actress that you can't really explain why you find them attractive and our attraction to them seems strange and unwarranted? **

**Mine, is David Bowie. Just, when he played in the Labyrinth as the Goblin King it was amazing!  
ALSO**

**Anyways, I will see you all later!  
-Sketch1997**


	11. Of Slumber Parties and Bats

**Special thanks to MisaxRyu for favoring All Because I Love You.**

**And another special thanks to Jayce-Grayford, and Johanna Crane for Reviewing All Because I Love You.**

**Jayce-Grayford: Oi, no judgment. He isn't that bad; I mean have you seen my crush? These are guilty crushes, aint nothing wrong with who we may feel is slightly attractive.**

**Johanna Crane: I honestly had no idea who Tom Cavanagh was until I googled him, and damn, aint nothing wrong with being attracted to that guy (he is really, really, hot.)**

**XXX**

It was… a very awkward car ride. First of all, the Joker (or more technically Harley, seeing as how she was behind the wheel), drove a bright purple Lincoln town car; with completely tinted windows and cup holders.

Second of all, Harley, promptly upon laying eyes on Emily, went into a fit about how "they were going to have so much fun while the boys are out of town!"; honestly, Emily almost asked to stay with the goons, at least she'd be able to defend herself against them.

Finally, the Joker. God he was so awkward…. From the moment he laid eyes on her, he began making cracks at Eddie about how "he better keep his eye on Emily otherwise she would leave him for someone else; and that she was way too beautiful for him!" Which honestly Emily disagreed with- silently, though; to openly disagree with the Joker seemed like a suicide move to her.

When it came time for Edward to get out of the car (they had arrived at the airport), Emily nearly felt bad that he had to sit on a plane with the Joker (and she highly doubted they'd make it past security). Edward moved Emily to the passenger side and leaned in through the window when she closed the door, "I won't be gone long."

"I know," she nodded; he smiled and leaned in swiftly, kissing her forehead in a chaste way, ignoring the Joker's cackles, and leaned back, "Behave, Emily." Harley pulled away and Emily looked out the window, trying to pay attention to Harley (she really was), but was failing miserably.

"We are going to have so much fun!" Harley squealed, "Just you, me, and Ivy, oh and Selena, and naturally we have Hannah, Alice and Melinda…. We get to do each other's hair, and nails, and talk about boys!"

**XXX**

"Kill me now," Hannah begged Emily; both girls sat next to one another on the couch, watching as Harley and Melinda gushed over celebrity crushes.

"I never would have pegged Melinda to be like this," Alice whispered from beside Emily, "She seemed so controlled and quiet at the lounge the other day, but now she's-"

"Worse than Harley?" Selena supplied from the other end of the couch, keeping her voice down as not to alert the two on the floor.

"We do not need another Harley," Pamela moaned, face palming, "One is plenty; even with just one, it feels over whelming."

**XXX**

"-And he will pop up on the screen!" Harley finished, smiling brightly down at Emily. They were sitting in the kitchen, Emily at the bar, Harley on the counter; a laptop sat in front of Emily, and said girl was pretty much done despite it was only day #2.

"I know how video chat works, Harley," Emily said calmly, smiling at the blonde, "But really, I can wait to see the Riddler- I mean, Edward, until he gets back."

"Nonsense! He insisted on seeing you," Harley cooed, "So romantic! He simply doesn't want to part from you!"

"Uh-hu." Emily smiled and thought with malice, 'Like hell that jerk doesn't want to part; he just wants to make sure I haven't run off.'

Harley left and Emily stared at the screen boredly, almost wishing that Edward would pop up seeing as how bored she was-

"Emily!" The Riddler's face appeared on the screen and Emily smiled a little; he appeared to be on a balcony, dressed in a green t-shirt with his hair ruffled, "How wonderful it is to see you! How's you sleepover going?"

"Wonderful," Emily lied through her teeth; the Riddler sensed her lie, it seemed, because he smiled in a knowing manner and gestured for her to continue, "Oh yes, we've done nails, hair, talked about boys, you know, just the usual."

"Sounds like fun," he hummed, "Don't worry darling, I will be coming home soon; the convention has been wonderful!"

"Really?" Emily asked, indulging him, "Have you gotten any autographs, collected any souvenirs?"

"Oh ha," Edward rolled his eyes, "I have had a wonderful time, thank you; and yes, I have gotten souvenirs. I even got you one."

"Oh really; is it a snow globe?" Emily asked mockingly; they both laughed, and Emily closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them to look at the Riddler, she found him staring at her with an unidentifiably look, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yes," His smiled returned, "I have to go, Emily; I will see you in a day or two, okay?"

"Yeah sure," She logged off and stared at the blank screen a bit, frowning. Was she flirting? Emily laughed sarcastically; her? Flirt? Yeah, that wasn't happening; she was terrible at it. But… She did enjoy talking to him, if only just a bit… or a lot.

**XXX**

"Hey Emmy!" Harley shouted from the living room, "C'mere quick!"

Emily sighed in annoyance and sat her coffee down on the counter; it was day #3, and at this point, Emily was nearly begging the Riddler to come back. She walked out into the living room and sat next to Hannah, "Yeah?"

"Group picture!" She squealed excitedly, pressing a button on the camera and hopping in the center of the group, "Everyone say cheese!" No one did, but everyone smiled; even if only to amuse Harley.

"This has been so much fun," Harley cooed, flipping through the camera, "I really enjoyed hanging out with all of you! I hope we can all be great friends; after all, we girls have got to stick together!"

As soon as she finished talking, the front door banged open, revealing a very, very, enthusiastic Joker.

"Mistah J!" Harley squealed, launching herself towards the man; Emily stood when the Riddler entered behind him, a tired look on his face. He walked over to Emily and smiled, grabbing her hand, "Told you I would be back soon."

"You are back rather sooner then I assumed," Emily hummed quietly, watching other rogues enter, "But I'm not complaining." His smiled widened and he laughed, "I'm glad you don't mind; ready to go home?"

"Yeah."

**XXX**

"So honestly," Edward asked, driving through the dark streets of Gotham, "Was it that bad?"

"No," Emily answered, staring at her feet, "A little out of my comfort zone, but it wasn't bad; Harley tried to make everyone happy."

"That's nice," He hummed; they pulled up to the warehouse, "Come on, let's get inside."

"Okay," she sighed, following him in the warehouse. When they arrived in their bedroom, the first thing Emily did was collapse on the bed, "Oh, how I've missed you."

"You have?" The Riddler asked, raising an eyebrow, "I had no idea I meant that much to you."

"Not you," Emily grumbled, scooting away from him a bit when he plopped down next to her, "The bed; I've named him Wilbur."

"You've missed the bed more then you've missed me!" He exclaimed indignantly, grabbing her waist and pulling her close, "I feel insulted."

"As you should," She sniffed, "Now let go."

"No."

"You are ruining my reunion with Wilbur, you jerk, now let go of me." She swatted at his shoulder playfully and he grinned slyly, grabbing her arm and twisting her to where she was under him They paused for a moment, Edward's face only a little from hers, their noses practically brushing.

"…I really have missed you, only a little bit though." Emily admitted softly.

"I've really missed you, only a lot, though," He replied in a tone that matched hers, closing the small space and kissing her.

'_This seems to becoming the norm,'_ Emily thought, _'And I don't really know how I feel about that.'_

Before Anymore could happen, the sound of an explosion shook the building and Edward lurched away. He stood and made his way quickly to a tablet that rested on the coffee table, flipping through it rapidly, cursing.

"We need to leave," He snarled, turning on her, "You stay in this room and wait for me to come back, and if someone shows up, shoot them." He placed a gun in her hand and took off; leaving a very befuddled Emily behind.

**XXX**

Had he been gone far too long? Emily wasn't sure. What she was sure of, was that she was terrified and had no idea what was going on. The door flew open and Emily nearly screamed; a large mass of man walked in cloaked completely in back and looked very menacing- "Miss Parks."

"Batman?" Emily whispered, dropping the gun, "You scared me half to death-"

"We have to leave." He left no room for agreement, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back to the door he knocked down.

"Wait!" Emily cried, digging her feet into the ground.

"Wait? Why?" That was a good question; why? Emily knew she didn't have time to ponder, and she looked to the caped vigilante, "I'm… going to stay."

"Miss Parks please we do not have time for this."

"No," she wretched her arm away, "I'm staying!"

"Why?" He turned his attention completely on her, "What is here for you that is causing you to stay? Have you developed feeling for the Riddler? He is a psychopath, Miss Parks; he cannot return the feelings. And there is no way you will be able to turn him good, it would be best for everyone if you left that to the professionals at Arkham. If you want to stay, you will end up like Harley Quinn; and do you really want that, Emily?"

"I-" Emily scrambled for an excuse looking around as though she could simply pick one up, "I don't know why I have to, I just have this feeling as though I should!"

"Miss Parks-"He didn't have time to continue, as a sudden sharp buzzing cut through the air and Batman convulsed, falling to the floor. Edward stood there in the doorway, panting, and god he looked horrible. His hair was messed up, his suit ripped, she saw a large gash on his forehead and he had a split lip.

"Edward-"Emily choked, feeling a feeling of worry and pity builds in her throat, "Are you okay?"

He smiled, dropping the electric baton he had just used on the Batman, "Oh, I'm just peachy. Come now pet, we should be taking our leave." She grabbed his outstretched hand and they fled the room; he led her down to the garage, and placed her in the passenger side of a SUV.

**XXX**

Emily sat on the bed, looking down at Edward who groaned slightly, looking pathetic, "We'll stay out here for a few days, then head back into Gotham." They were at the same house/mansion that they had inhabited during Valentine's Day.

She ran a hand down the side of his face carefully, frowning, "How did he find you?"

"Not sure," he croaked, coughing, "But he was very brutal tonight; more so then usual. I must've made him very, very angry." He smiled and before she could stop herself, Emily returned it.

"Bed time." He decided, gripping her wrist and weakly pulling her down; Emily complied, allowing him to lay with his head nestled in the crook of her neck. She felt… well bad, for him. He looked really beat up and her protective urges wanted her to wrap him in a warm blanket and put him out of the reach of Batman.

"Thank you," He breathed, "and good night, Emily."

**XXX**

**So this guy is it until Tuesday; I plan on sleeping the rest of my break. I just got back from watching Fast and Furious 7; damn, it was good. I don't even really care for the franchise, and I don't really have any interest in cars, but I can admit it was a wonderful story, great cast, and had an epic, epic, ending. Go watch it.**

**So, question of the week: if you could have one special ability/mutation/power/freaky thing about you, what would it be? I would want to simply be immortal; no special gifts or anything, just never growing older. **

**Any who, until next time!**

**-Sketch1997**


	12. Offers

**Special thanks to chained2love, Beetlejuice101, and IsJustIs for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks scarletxshad0w, and Beetlejuice101 for favoring All Because I Love You.**

**Finally, a very special thanks xxyangxx2006, Jayce-Grayford, 23-17-46-11, and Johanna Crane for reviewing All Because I Love You.**

**Xxyangxx2006: I just realized how incredible your gift to be; I mean, you could imagine JONATHAN CRANE OR EDWARD NIGMA OR JARETH FROM THE LABRYNTH and sweet baby Jesus I now want that gift.**

**Jayce-Grayford: knowledge is very powerful; it would be awesome, because if you are super smart you could be rich or pull off bank heists or something.**

**23-17-46-11: I am ecstatic you like my story. And I know what you mean about the whole Oc falling into the Riddler's arms; it may be practical, and cute to read occasionally, but it just isn't how things work. I mean, we all are fascinated with the thought of having someone like a rogue fancy us, but there is no way in hell that we would actually do the things our OCS do. And just for you, Edward will be telling a little of his time at the convention with the Joker.**

**Johanna Crane: I am behind on way too many shows; online classes and attending classes in person and such is killing me. As for Harley, I agreed, if only in the DC universe. I'm sorry, but I think my all-time favorite villainess would have to be, shamefully so, Shego from Kim Possible. My childhood comes back to bite me in the ass all the time.**

**XXX**

"So how was the convention?" Emily asked, redressing one of the bandages on Edward's arms.

"Oh splendid." He rolled his eyes, "Two hour plane ride with the Joker; I swear he is like a three year old. And when we got there, I was lucky enough to share a room with Jon; but the Joker was right next door and he never sleeps so we got no sleep. Then he blew up half the convention-"

"What?!"

"Mass casualties; needless to say we will not be returning to that city any time soon- and I am never going anywhere with the damn clown again." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest, resting his chin on the top of her head, "In my defense, I did get you a t-shirt, but it is at the old warehouse."

"…Well thanks, I guess." Emily closed her eyes, "When will we leave?"

"When I believe it is safe to return," he answered, "Well, you will return when it is safe; I have to return today, actually."

"What? Why?" Emily sat up, glaring at him, "I want to go!"

"No; why do you even want to return?" Edward peered at her closely, as if observing her in a new light. For the second time in the past week, Emily didn't have an answer; why should she want to go? She would be much safer here, in this large home, then out there in Gotham.

"You would miss me," he stated finally, smugly, "You want to be with me, don't you, Emily?" Emily gaped at him, "What? Don't be ridiculous, Edward; I just don't want to be in this house all alone."

"Sure," he yanked her back to him, "I think I finally have you smitten with me; and its okay, Emily, the feeling is mutual."

"What- you know, just shut up; I don't like you, Edward." Emily looked away; she was blushing, and Edward smiled widely, "Oh poor little Emily, denying your feelings won't do anything. Why don't you just admit them?"

He laid her down and moved to straddle her waist, smiling broadly as he leaned down slightly and let one finger trail down her cheek; he purred lowly, "Oh, the things I could do you…. Darling just admit it, you are very much enjoying this."

"Not as much as you are, I imagine," she mumbled, closing her eyes, "Edward, please just get up."

"I want the truth," His lips brushed her cheek and he breath gently, "That's all I want, Emily; the truth." She paused and looked up; expecting to see trickery or malice in his eyes but what she saw instead was nothing but honesty. She opened her mouth but found her voice caught in her throat- unwilling to speak the truth.

The truth was she did… enjoy his presence. She didn't want to say that she loved him- she was a novice at love, and wasn't sure if she loved him. She appreciated him, the less evil and more funny him; she enjoyed teasing and joking with him.

"Emily," he whispered; she pressed her lips in a thin line and he got off her, still watching her. She closed her eyes and tried to get her thoughts in order, trying to answer but- she was now crying. Her throat felt tight, like something was stuck in it; her eyes burned and vision blurred. It felt complicated, far too complicated for her.

"Hey- Don't cry," Edward panicked grabbing her shoulders, "Just- please don't cry-" Emily moved, pushing against his chest and hugging him; he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back, "Emily-"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice faint, "I don't know- I don't have an answer for you because I don't know what the answer is."

"It's- its okay, Emily," he mumbled, soothing her, "It's okay; I'm sorry for pushing." She mumbled something that to him sounded suspiciously close to, "You're a jerk", but he let it go. He hadn't the slightest that she would respond like this; it had given him a momentary heart attack.

"I… might like you."

"Might?"

"I don't know if I do or not; there are moments where you are very likable, then in the same moment you turn into a jerk." She explained; he laughed, Emily felt the vibrations in his chest, "I'm serious! Honestly Edward, do you expect me to fall into your arms after all you've done?"

"All I've done?" He asked, amused and leaning back; he now lay down on his side. His elbow supporting him, "Whatever have I done?"

"You kidnapped me," she deadpanned, "twice; you threatened my students, you broke into my house, you did god knows what with my dogs-"

"Actually," he held up a hand, stopping her, "Your dogs are untouched; all I did was drug them-"

"You drugged my dogs?!"

"You don't even like dogs-!" He defended, trying to escape Emily's wrath, "And they are perfectly fine-"

"Edward, you're missing the point," She groaned, burying her face in her hands, "You have hurt me, Edward. You have hurt me in a million ways; taking away the life I built, threatening me, hitting me, and you have done good but nowhere near enough to make me forgive you!"

"Then what do you want me to do?" He asked, pleading and staring at her with large eyes, "What will make what I've done better?"

**XXX**

"Damn," Emily hummed tipping back the beer bottle, "It's been too long."

"I thought you didn't drink?" Edward hummed, taking a sip of his own drink; they sat on the back lawn, spread out on a blanket and watching the sun go down over the lake.

"Occasionally, when I need it, I do," she snapped, closing her eyes and enjoying the sun light, "This is peaceful." And it really was; there was no bustle from city life, any bats or rogues… Just Emily, Edward, and a six pack of beer.

"You know," Edward began, "I think I have a solution to our problems."

"And the peace is ruined," Emily sighed, grabbing another beer; Edward grunted and rolled over, "No, I'm serious."

"Okay, Mr. Serious, tell me your solution."

"We should have sex." He said it with a straight face; Emily choked on her beer and started coughing, turning away from him with wide eyes, "Oh come on Emily! It wouldn't be that bad; in fact I guarantee you will have an _excellent_ time." He placed a hand on her waist and she lurched away, laughing, "No way in hell, Edward."

"Well I suppose it is a good thing we aren't in hell, then," He growled, practically leaping across the blanket and straddling her, "Emily; how bad could it be?"

"Really, really bad." She coughed, turning away, "Nice try, Edward; but I'm not that drunk, yet."

"You're overreacting," He purred, leaning down and kissing her neck, "I honestly believe that we would be able to reach a conclusion concerning us if we were to simply try the basics of intimacy."

"Yeah, no, on the level your talking Edward, the basics would be a heavy make out session or something; I'm not sleeping with you, you are not going to be my-" she stopped suddenly, and looked up at him with a put out expression, "No."

"What were you going to say?"

"Nothing. Get off me; I command this of you."

"You cannot command me," he laughed, "Now Emily, just think about it; everything can be fixed, I mean, what do you have to lose?"

**XXX**

**CLIFF HANGER**

**WILL EMILY DO IT? WILL SHE GIVE IN TO EDWARDS DEMANDS? FIND OUT NEXT WEEK, SAME TIME(ish, depends on whether or not it is really late Tuesday or really early Wednesday) AND SAME CHANNEL.**

**-Sketch1997**


	13. I Love You

**Special thanks to chthonic Asylum, and Gunmetal Siren for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks to chthonicAsylum for favoring All Because I Love You.**

**Finally, a very special thank you to Johanna Crane,**

**Johanna Crane: I actually haven't checked to see if it is on Netflix, but I probably should. And honestly, I don't know who I'd have to play them; I'll have to think about it.**

**Flowerchild23: Exactly!**

**Jayce-Grayford: I am so, so sorry for making you choke on your tea; I swear that wasn't my goal. And… you're feeling about Emily may be right; nah, dude, it is totally right. **

**Xxyangxx2006: I like throwing you guy's curve balls, make you think twice about the direction of the plot. And YES; his suggestion should be taken, it may be too soon, may not be… maybe…And yes, you are the second person to realize about Emily being a *ahem* virgin.**

**LunaMarr: Nah, I meant for Edward to be this way, I wanted to stay the same with the characters as what would be assumed. And I am ecstatic that this gave you a good laugh.**

**XXX**

The mansion was cold and quiet; from the oak doors you'd enter through, to the marble stair case, you'd find nothing but silence to greet you. The inhabitants of the house though couldn't care less of the silence, having lost themselves in the oblivion of sleep and the comforts of their bed hours ago.

Emily lied in Edward's arms, her chest laying over his heart beat and her arms wrapped around his torso; Edward held her tightly against him, his head lolled over to rest with his face nestled in her hair. They slept in a lazy form of peace, too comfortable to face the reality of what they had done.

Eventually, though, they had awakened. It had been Edward first; he blinked sleepily and raised his head, looking around the darkened room lazily. When he looked down at Emily, drinking in the appearance of her tousled hair and bare skin, he smiled almost triumphantly.

When Emily had woken up, her reaction was close to his, albeit not exactly the same. She had too woken with the same peaceful and lazy smile, but when she looked up into Edward's shining green eyes, she couldn't but helped that she made a mistake in letting him…. In letting him-

"So, you were a virgin?" He hummed, breaking the silence and letting one finger trail down her waist.

"Can I get up?" She requested softly, pulling away.

"No," he rolled over to where he was on top, hovering over her face and kissing her nose, "Are you bashful? Because you shouldn't be, dear; you were excellent…"

"Shut up," she grumbled, laying her head back down and closing her eyes, "This… this doesn't mean anything, does it?"

"Do you want it to mean something?" He responded quietly, tightening his grip around her waist, "What do you want to come out of this?"

"I don't know."

**XXX**

"When can we go back to Gotham?" Emily asked, lounged out on a couch while Edward worked at a desk, "I mean, you wanted me to be your assistant, but I can't assist you much if we are stuck out here."

"You've assisted me very much the past week," he hummed, still scribbling on a piece of paper, "Very, very, much."

"I mean I don't want to destroy Gotham or anything, but I want to do something." Emily complained, rolling over, "Can't I do something?"

"Sit there and look pretty," he deadpanned, still not looking up. Emily pouted and leaned back, closing her eyes and intending on getting a little rest. She felt herself start to doze off at the sound of his pencil, the occasional sigh he'd give, the birds outside….

She felt herself come to when a door opened; opening one eye she found herself looking up at Edward, and she realized he was carrying her somewhere. After a few seconds of walking, they arrived in what she assumed was the bedroom, judging by the feel of the soft comforter beneath her.

"Emily," he breathed, noticing her awake, "You didn't look comfortable on the couch, so I moved you here; I still have work to do."

"Stay?" she requested softly, gripping his sleeve tiredly. He sighed and obliged; holding you in his arms as he had done the night prior. They lay like that for a few minutes, until Edward broke the silence, "Emily?"

"Hm?"

"I… I love you." It had been no more than a whisper, but she still heard it. Emily opened her eyes slowly and smiled lazily, "I love you too, Edward."

"Really?"

"Really."

He sighed happily, almost sounding like relief, and kissed her forehead, "Why?"

"I think I just have realized that… I kind of gave up my life, for this; so I may as well as embrace. I didn't go with Batman, at the warehouse, and gave up my freedom for… well, you. And I couldn't tell you why I stayed, or why I chose this, because I don't even know.

"What I do know, is that I have come to love you. I hated you and yet… I love you. I will admit, the thought that this is Stockholm syndrome crossed my mind, but then I thought, what the hell? I mean, I have nothing to go back to, so why not? Why not be your-…. Assistant."

Edward licked his lips slightly and grabbed her wrists, holing her against the bed, "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

**XXX**

**Short this week, and sorry about that, but we are somewhere near the middle of this story. I'll try to make it up to you next week, but this was a very important chapter. So, don't take this chapter lightly.**

**So, question of the week, Marvel or DC? I know I have asked this before, probably, but anyways, answer me again! In light of the Avengers 2: Age of Ultron coming out, and me seeing it on the 30th, I want your opinions!**

**Anyways, Love you all,**

**-Sketch1997**


	14. Of Chinese and Star Wars

**Special Thanks to Irishchick1982, The Puppeteer Patient 120402, nachobeats823, and Uptown-Funked-Me-Up for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks Irishchick1982, and The Puppeteer Patient 120402 for favoring All Because I Love You.**

**Finally, special thank you to Jayce-Grayford, Flowerchild23, Johanna Crane, xxyangxx2006, and Irishchick1982 for reviewing!**

**Jayce-Grayford: I love to imagine him saying these words; because I can just imagine the look in his eyes if he is honestly meaning it and- nag, I just love it. And I agree with you about Marvel being family like, but I love DC villains more than anything.**

**Flowerchild23: Ah, I wish. But now, I already have one of my other OC's have a kid with a rogue, and right now their family matters aren't turning out so well.**

**Johanna Crane: Don't worry about the Riddler; we will be getting back to him in his character in a chapter or two. I just wanted to be an evil author and lull you all into a false sense of security. Anyways, Yay; I hope you get your account soon!**

**Xxyangxx2006: Ooooh you will love this chapter.**

**Irishchick1982: I am so glad you love my story!**

**XXX**

It hit Emily when she was washing dishes. It was an ideal night; Edward had gone into Gotham, Emily had cleaned the house and made dinner. He came home, they ate and talked (Edward mostly flirted, as that was all he had done for the last week), and then Edward went to his office while Emily cleaned up dinner.

She had just finished placing the last dish in the dish washer and was wiping down the counter, when a sudden thought occurred to her: she was playing _housewife_ for the Riddler.

She was- she was cooking him dinner- she was cleaning the house- she was sleeping- oh dear god she was sleeping with the Riddler.

Emily let loose a soft whimper; what was she doing? Edward- the Riddler- had killed people; he had no remorse, no second thoughts, and no hesitation for any of his wrong doings.

Edward- Edward Nigma- the Riddler- a rogue, a criminal, a villain-

What was she doing here?

**XXX**

Emily ran her hands down Edward's chest, smiling her most charming smile; they were sitting in bed, Emily half way on Edward's lap with both his hands on her waist.

"Edward…" Emily hummed softly, "Darling, we've been here for about a month…" _Or at least I have,_ she thought with a slightly bitter edge "And was wondering when… exactly… we could go back to Gotham?"

"No." His eyes widened, but his eyes narrowed; clearly both surprised and angry, "Gotham is far too dangerous for you, Emily."

"Pardon me, Edward," Emily huffed, "But it isn't as bad as you seem to make it out to be; and I lasted in Gotham for a very long time before you came along."

"Oh, and that itself is a bloody miracle."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I mean that you can be fairly foolish and stupid, Emily," Edward laughed, both his laugh and eyes cruel, "You have your moments of being smart, of having wit; but overall, your common sense seems a little below average."

Emily glared angrily and stood, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she yanked a pillow from below Edward, "Well, Edward, if you are going to be a jerk then you can sleep by yourself tonight." And with that, she walked out of the room, leaving a furious Edward to brood.

**XXX**

Eventually, about after thirty minutes of wandering the mansion, she found a couch in one of the far sitting rooms to sleep on. She was far too angry to risk Edward finding her- knowing her mouth would get her in trouble. If the Riddler wouldn't take her to Gotham, then Emily would simply have to escape here; she wanted to be back in the city merely because she knew the streets, knew people.

One way or another, her time with Edward was over.

**XXX**

When Emily woke, it was to the sound of a bird; never more had she hated the flying rats then when they woke her. Sitting up, she glared at the offending creature with anger; it picked at its bright blue feathers before flying away, leaving Emily in peace.

She sighed and stood, cracking her back and making her way down to the kitchen; she started the coffee, and pulled out the eggs and bacon, before remembering their fight the night before. She huffed and continued to pull things out; even if she was angry, she herself was still hungry.

She was nearly done with breakfast, having just eaten her own, before working on the dishes. She found the Riddler had not come down, but she wasn't missing him.

"Emily." Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. "Can we talk?"

"Breakfast is on the stove," She replied without turning around, "It should still be warm. Although, if it is a tad cold, I'm sure your brilliant mind can figure out how to work with a microwave, hm?"

"Emily-"

"I'm going to take a shower, so if you would excuse me-"He watched her walk up the stairs, not attempting to stop her- and for that, she was grateful.

**XXX**

After basically wasting as much time as she possibly could, she walked back down stairs, only to find no Edward. She spotted a note on the counter, and read it wearily:

_**Dearest Emily,**_

_**I have to run to Gotham for business, so you behave yourself today. I will be home around six.**_

_**I love you.**_

_**-Edward N.**_

Emily growled softly to herself and slammed the note back down, looking around the empty house; this was the perfect time to plan. She noticed on top of every door and window in the house, there was a tiny little black box.

It was small, plastic, and had two lights on it; red when the door was closed, and green when open. They were on every door, except the balcony in Edward and Emily's bedroom. She sat on the bed and stared at him; how would she get down?

There had to be like a rope or something in the garage, she reasoned, and there were more than enough supplies for her to escape with. She needed to look around, and find out what exactly she had.

**XXX**

As it would turn out, she had a lot; in fact, she had everything she needed- except a time to escape. She would wait until Edward left one of these days, and then about thirty minutes after he left, she would get out.

After that? Oh, well she hadn't a bloody clue.

"Emily?" Edward called from the other room; Emily slowly sat down the bowl she had been holding, and she heard him enter the kitchen, "Ah, there you are."

"Where else would I be?" She bit back bitterly; he sighed and sat something on the table, walking up behind her and resting his arms around her waist and his face against her neck, "Emily…"

"What?" damn, why did she feel like she was going to cry? Did he really hurt her the night before? Why should she care about what he thought; now that she was planning to escape?

"My dear, dear, Emily," he kissed her neck, "Darling you know I love you…"

"Really? Because last night said differently." Yeah, whether Emily admitted it to herself or not, she was definitely hurt by what he said last night.

"You mustn't dwell on the past… but I understand my words may have been cruel, and hurtful, and I am sorry. He pulled her around to where she was facing him, lifting her chin, he place a soft kiss on her lips, "I was a fool, Emily; could you ever forgive me?"

"…" she still glared at him, not budging.

"I brought home Chinese food…" He hummed, stepping back and allowing her to see what was on the counter; two bags, and the smell was wonderful, "I also have all the Star Wars movies ready to be watched… I was going to get you roses, but you don't really strike me as that kind of girl."

"….Give me Chinese, give me Star Wars, and I might forgive you."

**XXX**

**Muahahahaha.**

**Okay; so, trouble in paradise? I wanted to write Emily in character to where we could all somewhat relate (as Riddler fans). Sure, we would all be stoked that he liked us and all that, but I think we would all eventually come to our senses like "WTF AM I DOING?"**

**Any whatsoever….**

**Question of the week: ALLERGIES? I was going to do something else, but then on last Friday I was in my 7****th**** period at school and a girl gave me some sun flower seeds to eat…. Needless to say, after a hasty ER visit, it has come to my attention that I am very much allergic to Sun Flower seeds. And keep in mind that I am a seventeen year old who has never visited the hospital for more then a severe cold or extreme stomach cramps. **

**What allergies (strange or common) do you guys have? Not trying to make it too personal (I don't think allergies are really a personal thing, more of a common knowledge when knowing someone), but seriously. **

**Any ways, I love you guys, and I will see you next week!**

**-Sketch1997**


	15. Getting Out

**Special thanks to Dismal Tempest, alightinthedark89, and pyroleigh for following ABILY;**

**And another special thanks to pyroleigh for favoring ABILY!**

**Finally, a very special thanks to Live-Laugh-Sing, Johanna Crane, xxyangxx2006, Jayce-Grayford, Flowerchild23, and **

**Live-Laugh-Sing: Ewwwww; band-aids? And I thought I had it rough, you got it like ten times worst, dude.**

**Johanna Crane: Damn dude you are allergic to a lot. And I'm glad to see your account; sorry about your limited time on it though, with your dad and all. But, hey, at least you got one now!**

**Xxyangxx2006: Oh yeah, to say the Riddler will be pissed is a serious understatement. Any who, still be careful; I hadn't the slightest I was allergic to sunflower seeds before I ate them and couldn't breath.**

**Jayce-Grayford: Allergic to stupid people? Honey I can relate; I had a kid in my HONORS Biology class if worms had wings. Seriously people? He was thinking of a f****** butterfly. **

**Flowerchild23: yep. Too bad he hasn't realized it.**

**Pyroleigh: I am glad you like my story! And dude, I have like three cats, and I would die if I couldn't cuddle with them.**

**XXX**

Despite Edward's peace offering the week prior, tensions were still running high in the house. Last night alone, Emily ended up abandoning Edward to sleep alone in the bedroom while she retreated to her couch.

"Stupid jerk…." Emily mumbled, punching the pillow in attempt to make it softer, "And his stupid hair… *punch* and his stupid eyes…. *punch* and his stupid smile…-"

"Talking about me, now, Emily?"

WHAM

Emily swung the pillow around with all the strength she had with a terrified scream, smacking the Riddler straight in the face.

"-ow…?" he pulled the pillow out of her hands, glaring at her, "And what was that for?"

"For… For sneaking up on me," she huffed, taking the pillow back and laying on the couch, her back to him, "Now goodnight."

"Emily," he sighed impatiently, "Come back to bed."

"No."

"Now, Emily."

"No, Edward."

Edward only shook his head and said out slowly, "I am warning you, Emily; either come to bed or face the consequences…."

"I'll take my chances," she snorted, closing her eyes. A few moments of silence passed before he moved.

Right on top of her.

"What the fu-"

"Now, Emily; watch your language, pet." Edward cooed, pressing his face into her shoulder. She was trapped under him, writhing uselessly on the couch in attempt to get up.

"Let me up, Edward." Emily demanded, finally freeing her arms and grabbing his shoulders.

"No…. you see, Emily," he moved some of her hair out of her face, running his fingers through it idly, as if deep in thought, "You have been rather…. Rebellious, these past weeks. And honestly, I grow a little tired of it. I believe it is time that I reminded you who exactly the boss is; you have forgotten your place."

**XXX**

Emily cracked one eye open, taking in the quiet and dark room. Edward lay next to her, his back to her while taking most of the covers. His way of reminding her turned out to be rather… persuasive to Emily. And she had let him bring her back to their room.

This was probably good, though, to let him think everything was fine. That way he wouldn't suspect that she was planning her liberation from this house, from him. But… looking at him now… he looked so adorable and peaceful and she really, really wanted to just lay down next to him and go back to sleep and forget all this running away nonsense and-

No.

She had to get out, she had to leave. This time, she would leave Gotham; after getting there, of course, and reaching Batman. Although he may be slightly upset that she didn't go with him last time he went through the trouble of attempting to rescue her….

Eh, what the hell. It was his job to put up with people like Emily, so he could just suck it up.

**XXX**

"I'll be back tonight," Edward stated, Kissing Emily's forehead, "And I'll make dinner when I get back, so today, you just relax."

"I will," she promised, wrapping her arms around his torso and hugging him tightly. She didn't let go for a few minutes, and if he had any complaints, he didn't voice them. He simply held her tighter, and had his head resting on the top of hers, "Emily, love, are you okay?"

"Mmmmm," she mumbled, pulling back and kissing his cheek, "Good luck, Edward. I'll see you when you get home, kay?"

"Okay," he smiled and walked out, leaving Emily all alone in the large house.

Honestly, he should know by now not to leave her by herself.

**XXX**

A shower, a change of clothes, and a back pack full of supply's later, and Emily was standing on the balcony of the bedroom, staring off into the forest. She climbed to the other side of the railing and sighed, gripping the rope tightly and slowly lowering herself down.

Once she reached the bottom, she looked North; that is where Gotham was, and after about a day's hike, possibly a day and a half, she should make it. Emily had studied the map, and was ready; never having been much of an "outside" person, she was dreading the hike.

But it had to be done.

She couldn't keep living this odd and terrifying fantasy. She had to get out.

**XXX**

Emily groaned and leaned against a tree, "What am I doing?"

She had followed the directions; she was pretty sure she was going in the right direction, but she hadn't come across the most important land mark. It was a tiny town she should have passed through; Trenton. She was hoping to perhaps find some sort of help there. But luck was never really in her favor.

Judging by the position of the sun, it was safe for Emily to assume that Edward was probably already home. Idly, she wondered how he would react to her being gone.

Oh, he'd be angry; but would he be hurt?

**XXX**

It was getting dark, and Emily still had yet to come across the town.

"Well," she sighed, looking up at a tree, "There is no use in stumbling around in the dark; might as well as rest for the night."

**XXX**

**Short chapter, I know, but guys… I am so sorry.**

**I was facing a dilemma; there were two endings to the story that were begging to be written. Both have the same more or less, but one was much, much worse than the other one in the sense that it included darker topics and a darker Edward.**

**Not to give away the most recent episode of Gotham(in case you have yet to see it), but I gained a lot of inspiration from watching the Ogre and listening to some of his dialog; and the Edward in the show is gaining a more villain personality. **

**So, I as of now am going to do the less then happy ending, because it means I can get the next few chapters until the end. **

**Anyways, more important news: I have, by the suggestion of a very important follower, created a Polyvore account. And, if you guys were to want to get an image of what the characters were wearing for the bulk of the chapter, then I will have links to the outfits in my profile!**

**Any ways, I love you guys and will see you in the next chapter!**

**-Sketch1997**


	16. All Because I Love You

**Special thanks to thedetectiveinthephonebooth for favoring ABILY;**

**And another special thanks to Johanna Crane, lunabloodmoon666, xxyangxx2006, and Flowerchild23 for reviewing!**

**Johanna Crane: I really, really don't like Kringle. I mean, I completely understand not being interested in someone, but she is really harsh with him; granted, Ed is really persistent, but still.**

**Lunabloodmoon666: For a little while there, I want you all to imagine Emily felt the same way. But now, she is starting to get that there is no actual relationship (or is there….)**

**Xxyangxx2006: I am a sucker for happy endings. And my complete applause to those who are able to write non happy endings, but I have tried, and end up crying before I can get passed the first paragraph.**

**Flowerchild23: Of course he will find her; I believe Emily is forgetting just how smart he is.**

**XXX**

Emily awoke to the sounds of men shouting and dogs barking; she nearly fell out of her tree. At first, she was overjoyed; finally, she was getting rescued! She hurriedly untied the rope from around her waist, pulling it and stuffing it in her bag; she slid out of her tree and walked through the bushes, listening to the sounds getting closer.

"Do ya think the bitch went this way?" Emily froze, her heart stopping when a slightly slurred voice reached her ears. She slowly peaked out from behind a tree and looked at the overweight, bald man waddling along a path; his partner, the exact opposite with his bony build and long hair, "Does it look like I know?"

"Nah, you are far too stupid," the bigger snickered; "I can't believe the boss has had us looking out here all night; I'm telling you, though, that the broad has made it back to Gotham by now."

"Don't be stupid," the little hissed, "Boss said he switched up all the maps, and he'd have her be going in circles all night. She's here, trust me; and when we find her, boss is going to beat the shit out of her."

**XXX**

'Don't panic,' Emily chanted in her head softly, hyperventilating, 'Whatever you do Emily; don't panic. You will make it out; do not panic-'

_SNAP_

Emily turned at the sound of a twig, and nearly screamed; Edward was crouched a few feet away from her. He sat next to the same stream almost lazily, twirling the broken branch in his hand; he didn't look at her, instead, kept his eyes on the water in front of him, his mind a million miles away, "Hello, Emily."

Emily didn't answer; no, she was looking for a way out. He wouldn't approach her like this- not unless he was certain that she couldn't get away. He smiled bitterly, as if knowing what she was thinking, "You aren't getting away, Emily; not this time."

**XXX**

In the end, she came peacefully. Not for any other reason than she was too terrified not to. The men had cheered when they saw Edward leading her back into the house with a painful grip on her arm; he didn't stop them.

When they arrived inside, he let go of her; and turned his back to lock the door, "Oh Emily, whatever am I going to do with you?"

"Well," Emily back up slightly, "You could let me go…?"

"Don't be stupid," he hissed a painful smile on his face as he turned, "You see, Emily, I have grown tired of these games. You are a fairly good liar; you almost had me going that you loved me, but someone like you, I fear, will never love someone like me."

"Exactly."

"But, Emily, can you tell me what kind of person I am?" he took a step forward, her mirroring his actions backwards.

"You are a psychopath." Emily took another step back, "You have no respect for authority; you hurt when ever, and whoever you want."

"No, Emily," he drawled, "What kind of person am I to you?"

"…What?"

"Why can't someone like me love?" he wondered softly, staring at the setting sun through the windows; he looked back to Emily briefly, "I mean honestly, Emily; I am human. Just slightly, as one of my colleagues put it, ahead of the curve. I have feelings; so why could I not have had them for you?

"You all paint these horrible pictures of me and the other rogues, but I believe what really would terrify you all, is the undeniable fact that I, we, are humans, just like you. All the horrible people in the past; Hitler, Elizabeth Barthory, Maximilien Robespierre, they were all human.

"You ordinary people, you all don't grasp that you are capable of doing much worse than us; and honestly, you sometimes do worse than us."

"So what, did you ever really love me? Are you trying to tell me you, a monster, are capable of loving someone?"

"Very much so."

"Edward…. You make no sense." Emily's back finally hit the wall, and she had nowhere else to go; Edward approached her calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.

All in all, Emily decided, he was taking this rather well. He hadn't hit her- yet, assumed-, he hadn't screamed; he merely spoke in a soft, slow tone. Finally, he stood before her; one hand rested on the wall behind her, one gently wound its way through her hair.

"Emily," he breathed calmly, "There are no words to describe the immense anger I am feeling, and you have no idea how tempted I am to simply slit your pretty throat and be done with all this. But, no, that simply won't do. I am going to try one more time, to make you see how precious you are to me, and after that, I give up.

"You are going to hurt, a lot, in the next few weeks," he pressed his forehead to hers tenderly, and smiled bitterly, "But you need to understand, all I am about to do…. It is all because I love you."

**XXX**

**Ah yes, the cliff hanger of all cliff hangers in my stories. Intentionally, it was going to be much longer, but then I got caught up in watching the season finale of Gotham, tonight I have Agents of SHIELD, as well as last Thursday I went to see the Avengers Age of Ultron (which was pretty fucking amazing; I went to a midnight release and I saw like thirty different people dressed as Thor alone, not including all the other people who dressed up as the Avengers) and I had Geometry EOCs. **

**But, never abandoned.**

**These next few weeks, they are going to be difficult. For this story, the chapters will be small, following Emily going through her punishment with Edward.**

**They will also be small because I have a lot to do for my school; this Thursday and Wednesday I have to request all my classes for next year (IMMA BE A SENIOR NEXT YEAR BITCHES I MADE IT- but I still have college, dammit.) and I have to prepare for a presentation in my English III class; I'm doing it on a comparison between Marvel and DC.**

**Anyways, I love you all, and I will see you next week!**

**-Sketch1997**

**OOPS**

**Before I forget, there is a preview below for next week! Love Y'all!**

**XXX**

_Emily hung loosely in the straps supporting her body; just high enough to allow her toes to brush the ground, just low enough to where she couldn't grab the bar above her._

_The basement- which, admittedly, she had never been to in the house she occupied with Edward- was filled with a wide variety of tools and toys that with just one look made Emily want to cry; she honestly didn't know whether or not Edward was aiming for kinky or murderous._

_He had, shortly after beating her, placed her in these ropes; that was three days ago. He had come to the poorly lit room only a few times, never speaking, to ensure she was still breathing. _

_Emily could feel herself slowly slipping away; the deafening silence was screaming in her ears. It felt like he was killing her, slowly. All he had said, after first raising his hand to strike her, was five small, insignificant words, "All because I love you."_


	17. Of Pain and Suffering

**Special thanks to ParadoxMagic for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks to ParadoxMagic, and Wargetter for favoring All Because I Love You.**

**Finally, a very special thanks to xxyangxx2006, , Johanna Crane, Flowerchild23, Lunabloodmoon666, and ParadoxMagic for reviewing All Because I Love You.**

**Xxyangxx2006: Oh, I think it would have been impossible for her to escape. She became distracted, and forgot what the Riddler really was, and is, capable of.**

** : I AM SORRY.**

**Johanna Crane: I feel like if I had to have a spirit animal, it would be Ultron. He is such a sassy little shit; and I feel like that he is the epitome of what Tony is (if, you know, Tony was evil.). **

**Flowerchild23: You are pretty much right.**

**Lunabloodmoon666: NO BUT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN CLEVER IF I HAD PUT SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES IN AND NOW I AM UPSET WITH MYSELF THAT I DIDN'T.**

**ParadoxMagic: here ya go!**

**XXX**

Emily hung loosely in the straps supporting her body; just high enough to allow her toes to brush the ground, just low enough to where she couldn't grab the bar above her.

The basement- which, admittedly, she had never been to in the house she occupied with Edward- was filled with a wide variety of tools and toys that with just one look made Emily want to cry; she honestly didn't know whether or not Edward was aiming for kinky or murderous.

He had, shortly after beating her, placed her in these ropes; that was three days ago. He had come to the poorly lit room only a few times, never speaking, to ensure she was still breathing.

Emily could feel herself slowly slipping away; the deafening silence was screaming in her ears. It felt like he was killing her, slowly. All he had said, after first raising his hand to strike her, was five small, insignificant words, "All because I love you."

**XXX**

"Now tell me," Edward purred, pulling Emily's head up from the water, "Have you had enough?"

She would answer- honestly, she would- but she was momentarily trying to catch her breath. He sighed and dropped her head, frowning, "Honestly, why are you so dramatic? It is just a little water."

She gasped softly and clawed at the floor; she couldn't take this anymore.

"Remember Emily," Edward cooed, "This is all because I love you, darling."

**XXX**

**I TOLD YOU ALL IT WOULD BE SHORT. I AM SO, SO SORRY.**

**I AM IN EMOTIONAL TURMOIL OVER THE SEASON FINALY OF AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. AND I HAVE TO DO A PRESENTATION AND AM TAKING A NEW LATIN CLASS AND I MIGHT NOT UPDATE NEXT WEEK BECAUSE I AM SO TIRED AND GUYS PLEASE JUST BE PATIENT WITH ME.**

**-SKETCH1997**


	18. She Deserved It

**Special thanks to MarvelMistress7, and Jlpred for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks Ladydish, Brooke Vengence, and Jlpred for favoring All Because I Love You!**

**Finally, a special thanks to Johanna Crane,**

**Johanna Crane: I CAN'T CALM DOWN I AM TIRED AND HUNGRY AND CANNOT DECIDE IF I WANT TO SLEEP OR EAT PIZZA OR TAKE A BATH OR WATCH HETALIA. **

**Ladydish: Oh, I'm sure Emily will be just fine.**

** : I did go to see the Age of Ultron; and HOLY SHIT IF I HAD A SPIRIT ANIMAL I AM 3948% SURE THAT IT WOULD BE ULTRON.**

**Flowerchild23: Oh he might… The only reason he hasn't tried to help her is because he can't find her.**

**Irishchick1982: OHhonhonhonhon, my dear reader, the romance is not over! Or is it? Nah; they are just hitting a dry point in their relationship, I'm sure they will be okay.**

**ParadoxMagic: Thank you for your patience, precious cinnamon roll.**

**Xxyangxx2006: I prefer to be quiet, and to work in quiet, but I can only take so much.**

**XXX**

Edward sat on the steps leading into the basement, his elbows rested on his knees and was staring at Emily- who lay unconscious on the floor- while in deep though.

He hated doing this-but at the same time he couldn't help but feel she deserved it. He was glad that he had listened to the small voice in the back of his head; the one that said that she could be faking, that she could be faking. The one that said she could very well be playing along until she could get out, that she could be lying.

She deserved to be punished, she deserved to be hurt what she did to him; because… she hurt him.

A small groan left her lips and she rolled slightly, clutching her stomach; her broken ribs.

What was he trying to gain out of this? True, revenge was very, very sweet; but what happened when he grew tired of doing this to her? What happened when he let his feelings get in the way? When he first found her, by the small river, he nearly cried of joy. He felt pain himself every time he struck her, felt his heart clench every time she cried.

He wanted to pick her up right now, take her to their room and take care of her; fix her injuries and pamper her like the queen he believed her to be. He wanted to keep her here, far away from the horrors of Gotham, far away from the things that could hurt her.

Why couldn't she just love him? Yes, god knows that he had hurt people, and truly he felt no regret for it. But he did love her.

Walking forward, he slowly pulled her head to rest in his lap; he stroked her hair softly, smiling ever so slightly at her gently whimper, "Oh Emily, what can I do to show you that I love you? Will you ever love me as well?"

**XXX**

**Guys I am really sorry that this is late. I had it typed up and everything, just forgot to upload it.**

**Good news though- nothing I have to really worry about as of right now. Which means I can work on this peacefully without crying from stress.**

**So, I will see you next week!**

**-Sketch1997**


	19. Redemption

**Special thanks to DarkKittens12 for following All Because I Love You!**

**And another special thanks to The Puppeteer Patient 120402,**

**The Puppeteer Patient 120402: For the record, I would give him lots of love too. And Jonathan Crane…. And several other sociopathic characters…**

**ParadoxMagic: Don't think he deserves forgiveness? I get that; personally, I am happy for your opinion. I've had a lot of people say Emily is the villain, but it is nice to know someone else see's Edward in a not so wonderful perspective. Also, I can totally get wanting them getting back together.**

**Flowerchild23: Maybe a form a Stockholm; mostly, she will do what she has always done best: survive. **

**Xxyangxx2006: I am not too good at characters that are already established, but I do try. **

**XXX**

When she awoke, Emily merely laid there numbly. Something was off.

The ground underneath her was soft, cushiony; instead of the cold, brittle air of the basement greeting her skin, she was met with a think, soft blanket. She felt naked- which, after shifting ever so slightly, she learned she was indeed naked.

After what felt as though an eternity, she found the will to open her eyes; and automatically thought that she was dreaming. She was in her old room; the one she shared with Edward, when they were still together. There was an evening light streaming through the curtains, the sun, she noticed, was fading fast.

"Emily…." At the sound of a voice- _his_ voice- she froze, her heart rate picking up drastically, "Emily, can you hear me?" She focused on his face (he looked tired, she noted; when was the last time he had any sleep?), and cringed when their eyes met.

"Emily," he repeated softly, reaching out for her; she panicked and scrambled to get back. He lunged forward slight and grabbed her arms, keeping her from falling off the bed. She whimpered and felt chest tighten to the point to where she couldn't breath.

"Emily- Emily, pet, you have to breath; okay? Breath…." She listened to his advice, still not fully rtusting him.

"Emily," he continued, gently rubbing her shoulder with his thumb, "Are you okay now?"

"…" She opened her mouth, but no words came out; no, instead she opted just to stare at him. He sighed (which she flinch at as well, after what he'd done to her, she wasn't taking chances), and shook his head, "Emily…. You know everything I did was for your own good. You know now what you had down was wrong, and you won't do it again, will you?"

She shook her head quickly, tears pricking at her eyes.

"And now, you know that I do love you, right?"

She nodded.

"Good girl," he cooed, pulling her closer into a hug; Emily didn't dare pull away (far too afraid of what he may do to punish her), and he smiled, "Oh Emily, my beautiful, beautiful Emily…. Maybe now, we can finally be happy, and put this whole thing behind us."

**XXX**

**OH MY GOD GUYS I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING AND I FEEL SO STUPID FOR NOT REALIZING IT SOONER:**

**In chapter four of this story, when Emily and Edward go to the house they are currently in for Valentine's day, Emily is just being Emily and she said: "or perhaps there is like a torture chamber in the basement." AND AS YOU LOVELY READERS HAVE LEARNED IN THE PAST CHAPTER OR TWO; THERE WAS INDEED A TORTURE CHAMBER IN THE BASEMENT.**

**Gah I kill myself sometimes.**

**No Excuse, I'm afraid. I forgot about it until I was already in bed and nearly asleep. But, it is officially all clear now; no more EOCs or projects, I have smooth sailing in school till next Friday, then I am done till August.**

**I would like to thank you all for tolerating me and my short chapters the past few weeks, I know how aggravating it must be. I honestly considered putting both my stories on hiatus until now, but we are all good.**

**So, this summer might be hectic at one point; I'm visiting my Dad up in Washington (state). And as I live in Florida, getting there will take FOREVER.**

**Question of the week: What is your #1 OTP? Mine is Percabeth from the PJO and HoO series; I may ship others, but Percy and Annabeth shall always be my first.**

**Anyways, I will see you guys next week!**

**-Sketch1997**


	20. Of Fading and Decisions

**Special thanks to The GalacticJester BubbleWitch, and Batfangirl7773 for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks to The GalaticJester BubbleWitch, and Batfangirl7773 for favoring All Because I Love You!**

**Finally, a special thanks to The Puppeteer Patient 120402, Guest, Flowerchild23, , xxyangxx2006, and The GalaticJester Bubble Witch for reviewing All Because I Love You!**

**The Puppeteer Patient 120402: I definitely ship Peeta and Katniss.**

**Guest: That is awesome! I can't wait to get out, personally.**

**Flowerchild23: It is understandable to.**

** : Definitely agree with you on the PoTC ship; they are one of my childhood favorites.**

**Xxyangxx2006: Personally I would like to think Emily has reached a breaking point; the only thing left for to be decided is if she will continue to be a part of Edward's life or if he will let her go. She has both played the part to stay alive and she did enjoy it; but she only enjoyed being his lover until she was taken to the basement.**

**The GalaticJester BubbleWitch: I am happy you think it is.**

**XXX**

Edward frowned at the woman sleeping beside him. Her long blonde hair lay in messy un-kept waves, her body shape not as full as it was several weeks ago, her breathing was ragged and painful sounding. He didn't know what else to do; all he knew was that Emily was fading, and she was fading fast.

Her green eyes were dull, her smile vacant, her voice faint; he hadn't done anything in the basement that could kill her, could damage her like this…. Right?

She rolled over slightly, and Edward prodded at her torso; her ribs were peaking through. Okay, that is enough.

He stood and grabbed his phone, walking out of the room and dialing a familiar number; he leant against the wall, listening to the faint ringing until, "Hello?"

"Jon," Edward said quickly over the phone, glancing back to the room, "There is something wrong with Emily; she isn't eating, she isn't sleeping…. I'm watching her waste away."

"Well don't sound so pathetic," he drawled, "I told you this would happen. Never mind the physical impact of her weeks in the basement, think of the psychological. She doesn't want to be there, not with you, not with anyone; too many painful memories.

"The way I see it, you have to options. Option one is that you let her go; drop her off somewhere in Gotham, let the police and the Batman 'save' her, and allow her to move on with her life."

"Jon- I can't- I can't do that-"

"Well then you have option two. Option two is that you and her come back to Gotham, and lay low; no riddles or anything that can trigger a traumatic memory."

"….Do I have to?" Edward finally groaned, rubbing his forehead, "No riddles?"

"None," Jonathan said firmly, "Not unless you want to continue to watch her fade?"

**XXX**

**Okay, I know I said no more short chapters, but I wanted to leave you guys with a slight cliff hanger (I did the same thing in my other story). So, which do you think Edward should chose; option one or two? I already know which one Imma pick, but I'm curious as to which you guys would.**

**Anyways, I will see you guys next week!**

**-Sketch1997**


	21. I Need You To Be You

**Special thanks to ThePurpleAngles, freegirl333, and Kaida Fury for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks to Kaida Fury for favoring All Because I Love You.**

**Finally, a special thanks to The Puppeteer Patient 120402,**

**The Puppeteer Patient 120402: I know, sorry about the cliff hanger; and I am totally glad you are routing for these two. I hate it when I read a really good story with a really good pairing, and the author just sorta breaks them apart; it kills me. **

** : If only I had the evilness to write option one; but I am not even that cruel.**

**FlowerChild23: Scarecrow is right; and that is exactly why Ed called him. I am a total supporter of a bromance between those two.**

**ParadoxMagic: I love fics that can write the Riddler as reformed, but there is no way in hell I can. **

**Xxyangxx2006: I kinda like how educated all my followers are; because you, like them, can recognize that while one thing may be nice and fantasy like, you guys understand that real life doesn't work that way (and vice versa). One of the best parts about fan fiction, or any fiction, is that it can be transformed into anything we want it to be. I live by the quote: "If you cannot dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit." Even if you have the stupidest idea on the planet, if you work with it right, it will work. Somewhere in the Batman Begins/ Dark Knight category where my CraneXOC is, there is a story that basically revolves around a three way relationship between the Joker, Scarecrow, and Batman; and the idea is absolutely Ludacris but the author wrote it so well that I found myself enjoying the story.**

**XXX**

Emily sat in the passenger side of the hummer, her hands in her lap and her eyes downcast. Edward glanced at her from the corner of his eye; she had an emotionless look on her face, her eyes still dull.

"Are you hungry?" he asked softly, noticing the slight flinch when he spoke, "We could stop somewhere."

"No thanks." She said, her voice faint, "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." She assured. A few minutes passed before he asked softly, "Will you at least look at me? Will you talk to me?" His voice had started to rise towards the end, and he pulled over to the side of the road sharply when she didn't answer him.

Emily's hand started to itch towards the door handle (it was useless, she knew; he put the child locks on); and he glared, putting the car in park.

"Snap out of it," he growled, unbuckling, "Now, Emily."

"I- I'm sorry-" she stammered, leaning against the door, "I'm sorry!"

"Dammit Emily!" he got out of the car quickly, slamming the door and stalking over to her side. Emily, knowing he was going to pull her out, unbuckled and waited. Sure enough, he yanked open her door and pulled her towards the small forest.

**XXX**

"Now," he growled, stopping in a small clearing; he grabbed both of her arms, and pulled her closer, "Emily, my darling dear, you need to snap out of it. I have been very, very patient with you the last week or two, and my punishment was far less painful then I wanted it to be for you. Now you need to stop being like this, and go back to being my slightly sassy, mostly compliant, very loving Emily."

"Edward…" she mumbled, shaking slightly, "I don't know if I can…"

"Emily…."

'Oh god,' she thought, 'he's doing the kicked puppy routine…' And it truly did break Emily's heart to see him like this; whether or not she liked or hated him, seeing him look so miserably caused her heart to break further.

"But…" she looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes, "I- I'll try." For a moment or two, Edward didn't make a sound or moved; all at once though as soon as he recovered from his shock, he laughed. It wasn't cruel or condescending like his typical laugh, but it was nice to Emily; it made her smile to hear him a little happy.

**XXX**

Emily looked out on Gotham; from the apartment the Riddler had brought her to, she could easily see the city's activity and night buzz. Frankly, this did help her a bit; being in her home town caused her to gain a sense of familiarity, and the apartment, she noticed, didn't have one hint of green anywhere.

Even the Riddler had been…. Well, un-Riddlerish. He had been very straight forward, not as extravagant or complicated as she had learned him to be. He smiled, not maliciously, only compliantly, and had spoken softly to her ever since they crossed the city limits.

She had calmed down, but still wouldn't look him in the eye; he was trying, she would note, but missing a few opportunities for some well-placed riddles wasn't going to make her forget, wasn't going to make her forgive.

Right now he sat on the other end of the couch, giving her space while they watched the news; that was another thing, actually. He hadn't been forcing affection; normally, he be right beside her every possible chance, but here, he gave her a room all to herself.

"I want you to be comfortable, happy," he explained softly, not entering the room himself but opting to stay in the door way, "I'll be right across the hall, in case you ever get lonely or need something, okay?"

"Okay," she answered softly, meeting his eyes for the slightest of a moment; he smiled lightly, and nodded, "Okay then."

**XXX**

"So what did you think about the movie?" Edward asked, sitting on the other end of the couch with a bowl of popcorn between them, "Did you like it, or not?"

"I thought it was…. Cute." Emily decided, staring at the titles, "It was pretty adorable, actually." They had just finished watching an animated movie about bugs or fairies or elves or whatever living in a forest; the center theme of the movie was about how extreme love can be, either controlling love like the evil knight who broke the protagonist's heart the first time, or how dedicated and true it could be when she fell in love with the seemingly antagonist, who himself didn't believe in love after having his own heart broken.

"It was nice," Edward agreed, "I enjoyed the musical scenes." Emily smiled slightly, nodding; her smiled disappeared, however, when she caught Edward staring.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly, looking at the ground instead, "If you want to go ahead and go to bed, I'll pick up the popcorn and stuff."

"Okay," she stood and stretched slightly, picking up her blanket while Edward disappeared into the kitchen with the cups and bowl. She hesitated slightly in the door way of her room; her hand on the door, ready to close and lock it before she went to bed. She waited a few minutes until Edward appeared, him going to his own room, "Emily?"

"Thank you, for tonight," she said softly, before closing her door. She walked to her bed and curled beneath the covers, holding her breath while she listened to the deafening silence of the apartment; finally, ever so faintly, she heard Edward whisper, "Your welcome."

**XXX**

**SCHOOL IS OUT BITCHES AND I CAN SLEEP PAST SIX IN THE MORNING; FUCK YOU EDUCATION SYSTEM.**

**No but we got to tone it down a bit and be serious guys; I want to explain to you all something about Emily. To clear any confusion on what she may be going through and all that. Right now, you might pick up that she is sort of behaving bi-polar, because she is. **

**The way I made Emily's character, and the way I go through her thought process, is that while she may be moody and defensive, she is still relatively nice. So when she is sympathetic and kind to the Riddler, it is that caring instinct in her that wants her to make him happy, despite him having hurt her.**

**On to the lighter stuff; how is summer going for those who are out of school? My mom celebrated me passing 11****th**** grade by taking me to the beach (btw, I am pale as a ghost, and burn really easy) and thought it would be a good idea for me to be there all day…. I got so sun burnt it aint even funny; seriously, I can't laugh, it hurts to.**

**Question of the week: Summer plans? I am going to Washington (state) to visit my dad from the end of this month to the end of July. I am super excited; and also, updates should still be regular.**

**Any what so ever, I will see you guys next week!**

**-Sketch1997**


	22. I'll Try

**Special thanks to JediKendalina, and Silver Katsuyami for following All Because I Love You!**

**And another special thanks to Prinzessin Mia, , ThePurpleAngles, The Puppeteer Patient 120402, FlowerChild23, **

**Prinzessin Mia: too? As in you are one as well? Fuck yeah. Class of 2016 is the best.**

** : Man, a movie marathon sounds awesome. I have like a lot of Anime I need to watch, but I am lacking to motivation to do so. I still have to finish My Bride is a mermaid (I only have like two episodes left though), Hetalia (I have gone in too deep to get out, help me), Black Butler Book of Circus, and something called like Persona 4 or something my friend wants me to watch.**

**ThePurpleAngles: You have to work? Cool (If you like your job, that is)**

**The Puppeteer Patient 120402: I like bathed in sunscreen but I still burn! And 8:30; geez, I typically go to be at like 11, and wake up at 6. Don't feel bad about tiny towns, man I live in an itty bitty town in Florida; we seriously have like two stop lights and that is it.**

**FlowerChild23: Cool.**

**Freegirl33: I had no doubts I was going to pass, but I a really worried about next year. I still have to take my SATs, my EOC for U.S. history, Biology, and Algebra 1. **

**Xxyangxx2006: I think for now, Emily might be done with her shell.**

**XXX**

"Am I going crazy?" Emily wondered aloud, sitting by the large window; she saw the people walking below her, so happily and carefree (well, as happy and carefree as a Gotham citizen could be). Edward left her alone, claiming to have business that needed taking care of.

"He claims to love me…" she breathed, standing to wander the apartment, "He says he only wants what is best for me…."

"But he hurt me," she continued, running her hand over the top of the couch, "And he has kept me trapped here…."

"But he said it was because he loved me," she mumbled, finally sitting at the kitchen table, "he has been trying, I know he has; but I don't…. I don't know if things can ever be the same, or normal."

"I don't know if I can trust him," she concluded, laying her head down on the table, "I'll never be able to have a normal life, not with him; he is a rogue. A villain; a criminal… but I love him. God I love him…" She smiled despite herself, feeling her eyes start to tear up.

"What's wrong with me?" She questions softly, laughing, "God; I'm going insane…."

"No, darling," Edward's voice sounded from behind her; Emily turned to see him smiling sadly in the door way, setting a box on the counter, "I've seen actual insanity; trust me when I tell you, you are completely normal."

"Edward…" She stood and walked over to him; she stayed a step or two away from him, and he didn't move to meet her, "Edward, I'm afraid."

"Why?" he questioned, "I've already told you, Emily; as long as you behave…"

"But it isn't right Edward!" Emily interrupted, "You act like you want to be in a relationship with me, and I do want to be in one with you; but not like you want! There should be no "if I behave" or "if I act good"! That isn't how things work! I shouldn't have to be afraid!"

For the longest minute of Emily's life, he stayed utterly silent, staring down at her with a blank face; Emily, who hadn't spoken like that in what seemed the longest time, instantly regretted her outburst, and was mentally cursing herself, fearing Edward would do the worst.

"Emily…." He finally sighed, closing his eyes with a small smile, "It took you long enough to tell me how you feel."

"….What?" she whispered; she went to move away, but he grabbed her torso and pulled her close, chuckling softly.

"I miss you," He mumbled softly, burying his face in her shoulder, "God, Emily, I love you."

"Edward." She replied, simply, "I know you do." He laughed lightly and pulled away, staring deeply into her eyes and running a thumb across her cheek; she returned a hesitant smile, "I wonder though, does this count as Stockholm?"

"I'll ask Jon later," he hummed, "But for now…" He pulled her towards the living room, "Let's have some fun."

**XXX**

'_Okay,'_ Emily concluded, _'It wasn't __**that**__ bad.'_

It would turn out, by having fun, Edward planned on them watching a cheesy romantic comedy while snuggling on the couch; he had fallen asleep while playing with her hair.

"_But I can't love him!" The main character screamed at her sister, "He- He is awful! He is a player with women- he is rude and sarcastic-"_

"_It's the little things that matter!" the sister laughed her off, smiling sadly with a few tears coming to her eyes, "It's the little things that caused you to fall for him. You do love him, and he does love you; so why not just be happy?"_

"Why not just be happy?" Emily repeated to herself quietly, looking up at Edward's sleeping face; he looked so adorable, she noted, so peaceful.

"Okay," she rolled over and wrapped her arms around his waist, "I'll try."

**XXX**

"We fell asleep?" Edward mused, staring down at Emily; she didn't answer, far too preoccupied by sleeping to even notice his waking up. She had her arms wrapped around his torso, her face snuggled against his chest, "Well, you certainly did."

He smiled slightly and started to rub her back slowly, "Maybe you trust me a bit more? Maybe we can be together again? Not that I don't miss having you screaming my name while I fuck you senseless-"

"Keep it rated PG," she warned sleepily.

"- I just want you Emily," He finished, sighing slightly, "I want your mind, your body, your soul; I want to enjoy every moment like we did. I want you to love me, honestly love me, like I love you. Not all of that could have been fake; you'd had to of loved me before."

"…Perhaps I did," she looked up, blinking lazily at him, "But now? Make me fall in love with you, Edward; do it again."

"I'll try," he promised with a goofy grin.

**XXX**

"Mmm….." Emily stared at the television, her lips pressed in a thin line at the headline of the news:

"_SCARECROW APPREHENDED, LONG TIME HOSTAGE HANNAH KEY RESCUED  
Written by Melinda May_

_Miss Hannah Key, the kidnapped victim from February, has been rescued by Gotham Police and the Batman; the Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane, has been apprehended and placed in Arkham Asylum, where they hope to rehabilitate him._

_News on Key's state, both physical and mental, have yet to be released to us; but we do know she was transported immediately to Gotham General."_

"Oh dear," Edward tskd, "Jon must be very unhappy."

"What now?" Emily asked softly, watching as they moved on to talking of the weather, "Will he break out and retrieve her? Will she break him out?"

"I'm not sure," Edward said while standing, "I'll have to contact Jon immediately, see what he wants to do. Perhaps Penguin may be of assistance…. Do me a favor, pet; stay here. I'll be back when I know something."

He leant down and kissed her forehead, "Don't worry, okay? I'm sure they have something figured out for if this happened."

"Hey Edward?" Emily called, causing him to pause at the door, "What do you have worked out? If you are ever arrested, I mean."

"Ah," he slid on his coat and opened the door, "If we are ever in that predicament… just wait for me. I'll come get you, always."

"Okay." Emily smiled and pulled her knees up to her chest, "I'll wait."

**XXX**

**Okay, it is like nearly three in the morning. My energy is consisting of Apple Juice and Fudge rounds, and my cats have taken refuge in my mound of blankets at the end of my bed.**

**Question of the week: Favorite Hetalia Character (if you aren't familiar with Hetalia, I challenge you to pick your favorite country, and that can be your Hetalia character, since they are all countries.)?**

**Mine… oh god… I can't pick one. I love so many of them! Gah… when it comes down to it…. Germany….? Ajkgmbews brtvunyij hgrvCTFEvgqrbhwj6nykmuthfdgnsfbavdghwbajnys I CAN'T DECIDE I LOVE SO MANY.**

**Okay: Germany, Russia, America, France, Spain, Prussia, N. Italy, S. Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Canada…**

**-Sketch1997**


	23. Of Forgiveness and Records

**Special thanks to .Singer and Um I lost my name for following All Because I Love You; **

**And another special thanks to Flowerchild23, Guest, The Puppeteer Patient 120402, , xxyangxx2006, and Sun Smurf for reviewing All Because I Love You.**

**Flowerchild23: I think we all knew this was inevitable.**

**Guest: DAMN STRAIGHT FRANCE.**

**The Puppeteer Patient 120402: I still have yet to finish it, and I've been watching it for like eight months now. Definitely France, and Ireland is hot, I JUST HAVENT MET HIS CHARACTER IN THE ANIME YET AND I CANNOT EXPRESS TO YOU HOW UPSET THAT MAKES ME.**

** : I love Germany, I really, really do. It is really hard for me because as much as I love him and want to marry him, I ship him with Italy even more.**

**Xxyangxx2006: I understand America, and Russia, and all of them. I personally like Italy, but I don't romanticize him only because he has never struck me a romantic able partner.**

**Sun Smurf: Edward? I think it is his cute nerd appearance that draws us in, and then he uses his sexiness to finish us off. **

**XXX**

"Do we really not have a contingency plan for if we are captured?" Edward deadpanned, looking at Penguin, "Really?"

"I guess we never got along to it," The shorter man hummed, cleaning a glass, "We probably should have, after that time the Bat found you and took Emily."

"So what should we do?" Edward sighed, rubbing his forehead, "Isn't it time we assist in a mass breakout anyways? How many rogues are in there?"

"Hmm…." Penguin closed his eyes for a moment, thinking, "I know Ivy, most likely Bane, Tetch, Joker, Croc, and I believe there might be a few more."

"If Joker is in there than Harley must be planning a breakout," Edward smiled in slight relief, standing, "I'll contact him and see what he wants to do about Hannah; in the mean time, can you contact Harley and see what she has up her sleeve?"

"No problem; see you later, Ed."

"You too, Cobblepot."

**XXX**

Emily found a record player in Edward's office, and was currently trying her hardest to make it work, "Oh come on." She pressed what looked like a button, only to have nothing happen.

"That's not a button, it's a knob," A voice behind her quipped; she turned to find a smiling Edward leaning against the doorway, watching her with an amused expression and crossed arms. He walked forward and leaned next to her, running a skillful hand across the machine while turning several knobs and placing the needle on the edge of the now spinning record.

Soft music began to fill the office, and Emily sighed in frustration, "That isn't fair."

"Life often isn't," he answered, pulling her into the center of the office as he began to spin her around; she laughed softly when he attempted to dip her, "Edward…"

"Enjoy this, pet," Edward hummed, rocking her back and forth, "Or at the very least, allow me to enjoy it." She stopped talking and allowed him to hold her, spinning very slowly with her pulled tightly to his chest. They danced in a small circle for what felt like hours, until Emily eventually spoke up, "Hey, Edward?"

"Hm?"

"Did you figure out what is going on with Jonathan and Hannah?"

"Yes, and you don't have to worry. Harley Quinn is planning on a mass breakout, and I've paid off Penguin to get Jon out of there. He said leave Hannah, that he will retrieve her when he is back in control of his section of Gotham."

"I can't help but worry; how did Batman find them anyways?"

"I'm not sure," he pulled her back and pressed his forehead to hers, kissing the corner of her mouth gently, "But for now, we lay low."

Emily yawned and nodded, causing Edward to chuckle, "Let's go, Emily; time for bed." She hummed in response and walked out of his office, him following closely behind. She paused at her bedroom door and turned back to him slightly, finding him staring at her with a gentle intensity, "Good night, Emily."

"Night, Edward," she mumbled, walking into her room and crawling beneath the covers; in a matter of moments, she was asleep.

_**XXX**_

Emily awoke somewhere around three in the morning, staring at the wall while curled up on her side. She wasn't sure what woke her up, but now she knew there was no going back to sleep.

She stood and walked out of her room silently, staring at Edward's closed door for a moment before proceeding to the living room and curling up on the couch with a spare blanket. She could see the large dining room windows from where she was laid, and noticed it was raining outside.

She stared at the rain- it was really raining cats and dogs out there- and sung softy, "3 a.m. where do I began…."

**XXX**

After a couple hours of singing whatever song came to her head, Emily finally yawned and stood. Not wanting to alert Edward of her being awake, she tred down the pitch black hallway as quietly as possible, hoping not to wake him.

She opened the door to her room and paused, peering into the inky blackness that seemed to have swallowed it in her presence. Emily wasn't afraid of many things, especially the dark, but it looked so threatening this time.

She hesitated after putting one foot in, pressing her lips in a thin line at the thought of maybe joining Edward- only to sleep, of course- for the night. He wouldn't mind, surely; she had picked up on his subtle hints and not so subtle hints of joining him, but had adamantly denied all advances.

'_True,'_ she thought, _'I'd prefer the monster I know compared to what I don't know.'_ And with that thought, she closed her door with a soft sigh before walking into his room. She closed the door behind her and glanced at the mass laying in the bed; his room was dark too, but his room had a window.

She carefully walked over to the bed, and glanced down; _he was cuddling a pillow._

She smiled softly and shook her head, moving to the other side of the bed and slipping beneath the covers. She stared at him back for a minute with a frown; why hadn't he woken up yet? Not that she necessarily wanted him to, but she had expected it.

Without the small, sleepy, sarcastic quip she expected him to give, she felt incomplete. She sighed softly and closed her eyes; there was no use in crying over what didn't happen, that would be a waste of time she could use sleeping.

Slowly, Emily felt herself slip into sleep, her mind going numb and body becoming heavy. Soon enough, she was dead asleep, curled on her side facing Edward.

After a few minutes of even breathing, Edward rolled over to grin at the sleeping woman in his bed, "I knew you couldn't resist me."

**XXX**

Emily woke up, and felt off; reasoning that she just woke up late. Trying to roll over, she suddenly found that she couldn't; due only to the face that she was trapped against a shirtless chest by two very long, very strong arms.

"Stay still," A sleepy voice next to her commanded, "I want to sleep…" She looked over to see Edward like right there, his arms wrapped around her waist and face buried into the crook of her neck; he breathed out slowly, causing her to shudder slightly and curl closer to him.

"Edward…."

"Hush," he mumbled, rubbing her side, "Just sleep."

"…Okay," she decided, "I could sleep more." She closed her eyes and smiled slightly, finding herself more at ease now then she had been the entire time she inhabited this apartment with Edward.

"I love you," he declared softly, opening one green eye lazily to stare at her reaction.

"I love you, too," she replied after a moment's hesitation.

**XXX**

**Guys I am sorry about the wait. A nasty storm came through my neighborhood and didn't leave us powerless, but it did fuck with everyone's internet and phone and cable stuff.**

**Guess who just got their formal invitation to join the National Honor's Society? Yep. That's right; me. Guess I am smart, despite what all my math teachers have lead me to believe.**

**So, obviously, Batman has yet to get Scarlet? Why? Well, towards the end of the second movie, Bats wasn't in a great position, with them thinking he killed Harvey and all. So just assume he is a little caught up.**

**Um… oh, I get to fly on Thursday! I leave Orlando at like eight at night, go to Arizona for my connecting flight, and then get to chill in Washington! Man, all that time on a plane, it should give me plenty of time to write. But, if for whatever reason the next chapter is late, it is due to the fact of me being in Washington. Don't think it will, but just in case.**

**So question of the week: Who is your favorite YouTube person (as in gamer, singer, anything) ? My favorite person is, without a doubt, Markiplier. I don't feel as though I really have to justify the answer, just watch one of his videos.**

**Anyways, I will see you next week!**

**-Sketch1997**


	24. Mass Breakout part 1

**Special thanks to naturalbornsynner, xForeverGamerx, and TheBeldam27 for following ABILY;**

**And another special thanks to togpie222, naturalbornsynner, TheBeldam27, and Zombie-nation for favoring ABILY!**

**Finally a special thanks to Flowerchild23, freegirl333, The Puppeteer Patient 120402, Live-Laugh-Sing, and xxyangxx2006 for reveiwing ABILY!**

**XXX**

Edward laid behind Emily, his arm wrapped around her waist while the other brushed the hair out of her face. He could faintly hear the rain, and see the shadows produced from Gotham's nightlife streaming from his window.

He had to get up, but he couldn't find it in himself to; he wanted nothing more then to just lay here with Emily. But if he was wanting to assist Harley and Penguin with the mass break out, he had to leave now. With a soft sigh, he leaned down and kissed her forehead before getting up and moving to the closet, dressing slowly.

Emily curled up on her side a bit, whining softly at the lack of Edward's presence in the bed with her. Edward chuckled slightly before grabbing his infamous cane in the shape of a question mark; slowly, silently, he moved to Emily's side and kissed her cheek, "I love you."

"Be careful," she mumbled, not opening her eyes, "and I love you too."

_XXX Dream/Flashback XXX_

_The small blonde girl looked up into the window of the jewelry story with awe; the rare Gotham sun peaking through the clouds on the display case, causing the gems to sparkle slightly._

"_Pretty," she breathed, pale green eyes staring adamantly at the jewels._

"_You like those, Emily?" A woman asked, walking out of the store. She looked to be in her thirties, with faded blonde hair pulled into a bun and soft chocolate brown eyes._

"_Momma-" Emily hugged the woman's legs, "Can I have a necklace for my birthday?"_

"_We'll see." Her mother laughed. They walked down the street of Gotham with the crowd, staying invisible; staying invisible was after all one of Emily's mother's rules to surviving Gotham. _

_Nearly home, the crowd had started to thin; less talking and more silence ensured the small crowd as they carried on their way. Until a sharp grunt from an alley to the left drew Emily and her mother's attention._

_Emily hid behind her mother slightly at the sight of two men against one; the dark, cold shadows hiding them from being too obvious. The man lying on the ground looked up, and saw Emily standing there; he reached out slightly, his lips forming a plea for help, when one of the men beating him saw them, "Oi! Keep moving, girlies, unless you want to join him!"_

_Emily's mother wasted no time in snatching Emily's hand, yanking her along their way and away from the violent happenings of that alley. _

"_Momma," Emily whimpered, looking over her shoulder._

"_No, Emily," her mother replied, without looking down. _

_XXX Dream/Flashback Over XXX_

Emily awoke alone, and that enough was to throw her off. Rubbing her eyes, she hadn't realized she had started to cry a bit, "No."

She sat up; it was only a dream, a memory from when her mother actually was nice. When her mother actually cared- wait, where was Edward?

"Edward?" Emily called softly, standing and walking through the apartment, "Edward?" She paused in his study, finding a piece of paper:

"_Emily, I will most likely not be there when you wake up; I have been called to assist in a mass breakout in Arkham, and will most likely not be home for a few days. _

_Love,_

_E."_

"Well a little warning might of have been nice," She breathed, setting the paper back down and walking into the living room, "I hope that bloody idiot will be alright..."

**XXX**

**Guess who is chilling out in Washington? Yep; after both my planes were delayed, stuck on both flights in the middle seat, and storms, I made it to Washington.**

**God it was awful.**

**So, I'm pretty sure I said this earlier, but this time I mean it; All Because I Love You is nearly over. So, maybe no more then ten chapters.**

**Anyways, I will see you all next week!**

**-Sketch1997**


	25. Decisions, Decisions

**Special thanks to ThatTNTroll, and Leafpool16985 for following All Because I Love You;**

**Another special thanks to ThatTNTroll, and Leafpool16985 for favoring All Because I Love You.**

**Finally, a special thank you to The Puppeteer Patient 120402,**

**The Puppeteer Patient 120402: I'm sorry about it being short, my word processor was all fucked up for some reason. And don't be sad it's ending, be glad it happened! **

**Flowerchild23: In Gotham it is.**

**XXX**

Emily ran her hand down the side of the window, staring out sadly. Edward had been absent for a few days, and the news hadn't said anything about a mass break out yet.

She had tried everything to occupy her mind; pacing, singing, rearranging her room and organizing all closets, but nothing helped. Finally, she was reduced to sitting by the window, staring at the people with a vacant expression.

They all looked so relaxed- and free. Emily had come to realize that she loved Edward, but she loved her freedom too; and it was moments like these, when Edward was out and Emily was stuck here alone and in the dark, that made her bitter.

"Love is patient, Love is kind," Emily chanted softly, "It does not envy, it does not boast, and it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angers, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protect, always trust, always hope, always perseveres."

"I didn't realize you were religious, kitten." Edward mused softly, staring at the girl who sat unaware of his presence, "You are full of surprises, aren't you Emily?"

He shook his head and moved towards the bedroom, leaving her at the window to muse. He stumbled blindly down the hall until he reached his room, collapsing on the bed with a groan. The breakout had gone beautifully; but had simply taken longer then he anticipated.

"Edward?!" Emily stood in the doorway, marveling at him, "When did you get home?"

"Just now," he answered softly; he raised one arm to her, "Emily, can you come here a moment?"

"Yeah," she sat at the edge of the bed and allowed him to pull her close, gently starting to stroke her hair, "Is everything alright, Edward?"

"Mm," he hummed. For a few minutes they sat in simply silence, until Edward softly spoke up, "Emily, I've been thinking, and I have something to ask you."

"Okay?"

"You have two options." He began, "Option 1, I set you free. You can walk out of the door and I will let you live your life and I will never, ever bother you again. Option 2, you stay with me, forever. No more escape attempts, no more locking you away from the world; you stay by my side, willingly, and you never leave me."

"Edward…. You are asking me to chose between you and my freedom."

"I know; but what I need to know is what you choose."

**XXX**

**I know, short chapter. I've been really busy; and I will explain more later. Next chapter will be the last guys, and then possibly an epilog. **

**I'll see you next week.**

**-Sketch1997**


	26. Of Nutella and Vodka

**Special thanks to for following All Because I Love You;**

**And another special thanks to Alissin for favoring All Because I Love You!**

**Finally, a special thanks to Flowerchild23, The Puppeteer Patient 120402, for reviewing All Because I love You!**

**Flowerchild23: It should.**

**The Puppeteer Patient 120402: Ooh, I hope she listens to you… (insert evil author laugh)**

** : RELAX MAN; THIS IS LIKE THE LAST CHAPTER!**

**XXX**

"Edward…. I'm sorry, but I can't."

He stared down at her for a moment, his face blank and body rigid, before he sighed. Letting go, he got up and walked out of the room, leaving her there all alone, "Edward?"

She found him in his office, searching his desk for something; finally, he pulled out a clear vile, filled with a soft blue crystal like liquid. He wordlessly handed it to her, watching her reaction carefully as she studied it, "What is it?"

"A sedative," he replied monotone, "I can't risk you telling the police where I am, therefore if you want to leave, I have to sedate you."

"How do I know it isn't poison?" she finally asked, taking it from him while weighing it in her hand; when she asked her question, a small, bitter smirk made its way to his face.

"Do you not trust me?"

She sighed slightly and pulled off the lid, taking the sedative like you would a shot. For a moment or two, nothing happened, before Emily collapsed while Edward made no move to catch her.

**XXX**

When Emily woke up, she nearly cried of relief; she hadn't though the drug was really a sedative, she was honestly expecting she was going to die.

She was in a white hospital room, the beeping of the monitor on her left breaking the dead silence that enveloped the room. To her right sat Jim Gordon, passed out in an uncomfortable looking chair.

"Mr. Gordon," Emily croaked, shaking the man slightly, "Gordon!"

"What-" he jumped slightly and adjusted his glasses, "Oh, Miss Emily, youre awake. That's a reliefe; when we found you outide the station we feared the worst."

"You found me outside the police station?" Emily questioned.

"Yes," He scooted forward in his seat, "Now, Emily, I need to ask you some questions." Well, that was to be expected. Naturally he inquired what exactly happened with the Riddler, and what he did to her; he looked a tad crestfallen when she sadly told him she had no idea where he was, and told him honestly how he let her go.

She conveniently left out the parts where she had ensued a romantic relationship with him and the fact that she had slept with him a few times.

**XXX 2 YEARS LATER XXX**

The phrase "Calm Before the Storm" had never applied to a Gotham day more then it had this day; and Emily wasn't sure why. Everything seemed alright, which is why she was so frightened; Gotham was never this calm, this relaxed.

After she had been deemed mentally stable after her time kept with Edward, she was allowed to pursue her past life. Although, it wasn't that hard to convince them she was alright; she didn't allow them to see any signs of Stockholm, and spoke of Edward in a cruel and unforgiving light.

She had yet to see him, in person, since he let her go; it was damn near inevitable though to not see him on a newspapers or television screen.

Strangely enough, though, there hadn't been any recent attacks from the Riddler; he wasn't in Arkham, having escaped last month, and hadn't surfaced since. It didn't bother Emily much; she knew he must be planning something. It didn't concern her either, until of course, the Batman showed up on her balcony.

"Emily," he greeted, "We need to talk."

"Oh?" She sat down the jar of Nutella she had been previously holding, along with her spoon, and stepped out on the balcony, hugging her blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"The Riddler has been strangely quiet the past month, do you know why?"

"Oh please, Batman," Emily scoffed, rolling her eyes and leaning against the railing, "I haven't come into contact with Edward since he let me go; how would I know where he is or what he's up to?"

"Because he was quiet around this time last year, exactly this time last year," Batman moved a little closer to the shadows when a car honked on the ground, four stories below them, "And this time two years ago, he let you go."

"So?"

"So you are connected," he accused softly, "Whether you believe it or not. If you hear anything, Emily, please contact me through Gordon."

"No problem, Batman." Emily drawled, walking back inside and leaving him to his own devices. She sat on her couch with her Nutella and watched the television for a few hours.

"Stupid bat," she mumbled finally, standing up and putting away her Nutella, "Why would it involve me? I am done with Edward, and he is done with me, and that is that! So what if every year he goes on a slight hiatus during the time he let me go; so what if I have yet to face any muggers or robbers since being associated with him? It doesn't mean he is possible looking out for me, or that he might….. possibly… still care for me…."

She paused when she reached her bedroom, hesitating in the door frame; what if he still cared?

Hypothetically, he might. After all, he gave her a choice; and he stayed true to his word, stayed far away from her.

"God fucking damn bastard." She finally hissed, turning around and walking to her front door, "Damn him, damn the Batman, damn this town and every wretched soul in it; damn them all."

**XXX**

It wasn't hard to find his apartment; the one he kept her at last during their time together in Gotham. He might of underestimated just how much time she would spend looking out the windows; seeing land marks and street names.

Within an agonizingly long hour, she had found it, looking up at the window she so often had sat at, and looked out from.

Taking a deep breath, she walked into the apartment building, climbing the old carpeted stairs quietly to what she prayed was the right apartment. She knocked on the door softly, but firmly; hoping not to wake any of the other inhabitants.

After a few moments, she knocked again, a little louder this time. A muffled thump and curse met her ears and she stepped back as the door swung open revealing a tired, disheveled Edward.

Neither spoke for the first couple minutes, merely observing one another with a bitter silence, before Emily broke it, "Edward…." She reached forward and cupped his cheek, frowning, "What happened?"

"…" His lips tugged into a frown to match her own, his eyes glossed over slightly while he placed his hands on her hips, "You left."

"Oh, Edward," she whimpered, not hesitating to move forward and hug him; he gripped her tightly, like a life line, and pulled her into the apartment, shutting and locking the door behind her.

She loved him, god she loved him; still. Perhaps the only reason she hadn't broken down was because she convinced that it was best for her to be without him. She drowned her loneliness in Nutella and Vodka; she hadn't allowed herself to become close to anyone else.

"God Emily," he picked her up bridal style and moved her towards her room; she had noticed the empty bottles of alcohol sitting in the living room, but decided not to comment. He set her down gently on the bed, crawling in after her and hugging her tightly to him.

He didn't seem to have anything beyond holding him on her mind, and he showed it with his soft kisses to her neck.

"I love you," he mumbled, "Please, Emily, please don't leave me again."

"Never," she promised, "I will always stay."

**XXX**

**And that is a wrap, people!**

**First of all, I would love to thank all my faithful readers who have followed this story, whether you be from the first chapter or the last. **

**Second of all, I would like to let you know there might be possible sequel, but I am not sure yet. So don't unfollow this story, because if there is another, I will make sure to announce it here first.**

**Well people, did you really think I wouldn't let them be together in the end? Nah, I am afraid I don't have the heart for it. **

**So, for the final time on this story, I love you guys, and I hope to see you again!**

**-Sketch1997**


	27. Without You

**Hey My Followers,**

**This is not an update to tell you guys there is a sequel; not yet. For now, I have published the sister story to this one, the one following Hannah and the Scarecrow.**

"**Without You" by Sketch1997.**

**-Sketch1997**


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